SOME ZOOMORPHIC ATTRIBUTES IN THE ART OF SOGDIAN

Abstract

Sogdians were a community that was very influential in the Antiquity and Middle Ages in Central Asia in cultural, political and economic terms. They were economically and politically powerful in the early Middle Ages in the Silk Road, extending from the China to the Central Asia, and left significant works of art behind. Sogdians, despite different beliefs existed within their geography, practised Zoroastrianism and reflected the religion to their works of art. In this study zoomorphic attributes that are in Sogdian art are interpreted in terms of iconography and their meanings are analysed according to deities they symbolise. These zoomorphic attributes and deities associated with them are not only taken from Zoroastrian pantheon but also from Hindu and Mesopotamian examples.