Oriental(ist) Perspectives

As classicists, we sometimes forget the lasting impressions and influences the Greco-Roman world left after its collapse. These influences were brought into focus during the presentation of two particular papers.

The Inscriptions of the Dome of the Rock. Two inscriptions survive that encircle the building, one around the outside arcade, another around the inner arcade. Both are written in Kufic script, yet they differ in content and style. The outer inscription is the one most similar to those dated to late Antique and it was likely part of the original artistic program of the Dome. Despite the fact that the Dome of the Rock is the first and most iconic building of Islam, Byzantine influences are still very much present.  It also seems plausible that byzantine mosaic artists were involved in the planning or decoration process. The inner inscription steps away from this tradition and creates a development towards a purely Islamic style. The style of script is more like calligraphy instead of graffito, and the content is directly from the Qur’an. In this one building, we see the blending of Byzantine and very early Islamic iconography, giving the Dome of the Rock a very unique art program.

Similar to this is the Greco-Roman civilizations in wider Eurasia. The most compelling point of the presentation was, if this was land once conquered and ruled by the Romans, it is completely possible that they inherited the traditions and became the heirs of the collapsed Empire. Countless rulers and figures have claimed having a Caesar or Alexander the Great as an ancestor. The artistic styles have blended the greek and roman with the local traditions to create something unseen anywhere else such as the Greco-Buddhist  sculpture. The Greco-Roman world had natural roots in this part of the world, and it is only with modern geographical boundaries that we have separated the two.



Indo-Corinthian Capital, 4th Century CE