Wall Paintings of Bamiyan, Afghanistan: Technology and Materials

The site of Bamiyan in Afghanistan site has suffered numerous disasters throughout its history which have resulted in the loss of many of its cultural treasures, especially many of the Buddhist wall paintings which contain/contained much of the history of painting techniques.

In spite of these losses, the authors of this volume discovered, in a cave in Bamiyan, the oldest example of the use of oil-based paints in the world dating back to the mid-7th century.

This book presents important data collected through chemical analyses aimed at determining the materials and techniques used in the Buddhist wall paintings at Bamiyan. The results of these studies are discussed from a broad perspective, addressing the cultural interactions between the geographical east and west of the Eurasian continent.