Connecting the Sacred

Network Analysis of Buddhist Images on Early Medieval Chinese Pagodas from Nannieshui, Shanxi

Bibliographic Data

ID3510514
AuthorsJinchao Zhao (0000-0002-9973-3700, Tongji University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume14
Issue5
Pages625
Publication date2023-05-06
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel14050625
OpenAlexW4381461352
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited24

The production of stone sculptures in the form of statues, steles, and pagodas was arguably one of the most prominent forms of Buddhist devotion in early medieval China. The abundant Buddhist imagery and devotional inscriptions adorning their surfaces provide rich information on their creation, commission, consecration, and worship, which is essential for comprehending the local community's religious landscape. This paper employs a network analysis approach to visualize and analyze the spatial arrangement of Buddhist images on the surfaces of pagodas from Nannieshui 南涅水, Shanxi 山西 Province. Network analysis reveals that Nannieshui pagodas were commissioned and worshipped differently from other kinds of stone sculpture, as shown by its emphasis on the spatial and sequential order of Buddhist images depicted on the exterior of these pagodas

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Buddhism · Chai · China · Consecration · Geography · Sculpture · Theology · Visual arts · Worship · History · Philosophy · Psychedelics and Drug Studies · Geology

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