Lands of Asia layouts (Eng) 26.11.21

part iii | cultural and spiritual development
The small, round, lidded wooden box found at Bittepa contained a part of a
phalanx of a finger. Similar boxes – pyxides – are widespread in the Christian world
and were an essential article in Christianity. Made from silver, gold, bone and
wood, they were often decorated with Christian motifs and symbols, but examples
without such decoration have also been found. They were originally intended for
keeping relics of the ‘True Cross’ and later relics of various saints. Pyxides have
been found in many Christian burials. Researchers believe that in this case, the box
was a personal item, and was worn and stored like a medallion or amulet, fulfilling
a magical healing function.
The discovery of the pyxis in the Bittepa burial ground is so far the only one of its
kind in Central Asia.
Another interesting religious object found here is a miniature bronze amulet in the
form of a jug with a cross-shaped ‘Tree of Life’ growing out of it. This amulet may well
be unrelated to Christianity, as the Tree of Life motif is common to many religions
including Manichaeism, but in Christian dogma there is a direct link between the
concepts of the cross and the Tree of Life. The images of the ‘Tree of Life’ in Christian
art are therefore often interpreted as images of the cross.
Another extremely important find has been made in recent years. The archaeologist
K.A. Sheiko discovered a small ceramic vessel covered in writing, in ink, from the rim
to the base. According to him, the vessel was found in the Sariasiya district of the
Surkhan Darya Region, at the Afghantepa site.
The writing on the vessel is in Syriac script, which was used in Inner Asia mainly by
Christians and to some extent by Manichaeans. Before a reading of the inscription on
this vessel is complete, it is of course difficult to say whether it belonged to Christians
or Manichaeans. In either case, however, it has great significance for the cultural
history of Central Asia. Firstly, it is the first Syriac inscription from Tokharistan to
have been discovered; secondly, it is the most important of all those previously found
in Central Asia; and thirdly, it is one of the earliest. Christianity and Manichaeism
played an important role in the history of Inner Asia and left a lasting mark on the
cultural history of the peoples and countries along the routes of the Silk Road. They
brought the spiritual values of their respective faiths to many countries and peoples,
in spite of suffering and persecution.
Mithraism
‘Milites Mithrae’ (‘the soldiers of Mithras’) is one of the names of the adherents of
the once great but now forgotten world religion, Mithraism.
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