3.7 blumer.xp

Transcription

3.7 blumer.xp

Forgotten Archaeological Sites of the Choskhor Valley in
Central Bhutan: the Batpalathang Site near Jakar and the
Potential of Bhutan’s Archaeological Heritage
Part 1: Introduction, Setting, and Monument B31
Reto Blumer2 and Luc Braillard3
After the first field campaign in 1999 during which we documented the archaeological importance and potential of two threatened stone masonry structures discovered at the site known as Batpalathang near Jakar (Bumthang District, Kingdom
of Bhutan), it was decided to set up a second fieldwork campaign. Between April
and July 2000, a multidisciplinary team from Switzerland, assisted by a representative of the National Commission for Cultural Affairs of the Bhutanese government
and by a team of local fieldworkers, carried out final investigation work at the site.
The data obtained during both campaigns were later analysed and elaborated by
the author in Switzerland. The first part of the final report is presented here, including descriptions of the contextual setting and containing a detailed account on a
major archaeological monument disclosed by the team. The second part of this final
report is to be published in the coming year in the SLFA Annual Report for 2001.
1.
Introduction
Two archaeological field campaigns were carried out for the first time ever in the
Kingdom of Bhutan. Although the timetotal amount of fieldwork was short in duration (three weeks in 1999 and fifteen weeks in 2000 ), it proved to be a unique opportunity in achieving scientific documentation on archaeological features of historical
value in Bumthang, a district located in central Bhutan.
Logistic Support
Among the institutions which contributed to the organization of the archaeological
operations between 1999 and 2000, we would like to mention and sincerely thank
the following Bhutanese institutions and persons:
— the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA4 ), RGoB5, Thimpu (Honorable Minister:
1
The first part of this report includes the
research settings and a single archaeological
structure, monument B3. The second part of
the report, to be published in the SLFA
Annual Report for 2001, will include a
detailed account of further archaeological
work carried out in Bhutan in 1999 and 2000.
2
Reto Blumer is holder of a MS degree in
Prehistoric Archaeology, obtained from the
University of Geneva in 1997. He actively participated in the first International Archaeological Field Project in Chukotka, Northeastern
Siberia (Russia), from 1995 to 2000 as representative of the SLFA, Zurich. In 1999, he
organized and implemented the first archaeological excavation ever carried out in the
Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.
3
Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji);
— the National Commission for Cultural Affairs, RGoB, Thimpu (Secretary:
Dasho Sangay Wangchuck);
— the Department for Research and Development Services (DRDS), MoA, RGoB,
Thimpu (Director: Dasho Sherub Gyaltsen);
— the Renewable Natural Resources Research Centre (RNR-RC) in Jakar
(Program Director: Kinzang Wangdi; Advisor: Dr. Walter Roder);
— the Coordination Office of the NGO Helvetas, Thimpu (Coordinator:
Dieter Zürcher, Thimpu);
In Switzerland, the following institutions supported the endeavour financially and
logistically:
— the Secretary General office of NGO Helvetas, Zurich (Secretary General:
Dr. Werner Külling, Zurich);
— the Swiss–Liechtenstein Foundation for Archaeological Research Abroad
(SLFA), Zurich, Switzerland (Secretary General: Dr. Eberhard Fischer).
Luc Braillard has an MS degree in Geology
from the University of Fribourg. He is acting
as geologist and sedimentologist for the
archaeological survey of the Historic Heritage
Office, Jura district (Porrentruy), Switzerland.
Financial Support
Main financial support was granted by the Swiss–Liechtenstein Foundation for
Archaeological Research Abroad, Zurich, Switzerland. The NGO Helvetas contributed
4
Ministry of Agriculture
to cover part of the logistic costs during our stays in Bhutan. The RNR-RC staff in
5
Royal Government of Bhutan
Jakar furnished additional logistic support on the excavation site.
3
1
Simplified geographical and political map
of the Kingdom of Bhutan in its geopolitical
context. In dark grey: Great Himalayas; in
light grey: the Inner Himalayas or central
belt; in white: the hilly Sub-Himalayas. Map:
R. Blumer, 2000, redrawn from Schicklgruber
and Pommaret, eds. 1997:11, and from
Armington 1998:31.
1
Preliminary Results of 1999
In 1998, some buried stone structures were discovered incidentally at the building
site of a newly planned agronomic research centre ( RNR – RC ) in Jakar, Central Bhutan.
The NGO Helvetas, who was coordinating the building work, reported the findings
to governmental agencies in Thimpu. The RGoB via their Ministry of Agriculture
asked Helvetas to organize an archaeological investigation on the findings. This led
to the first excavation campaign, carried out in April 1999 by a team of the SwissLiechtenstein Foundation for Archaeological Research Abroad ( SLFA ). The results of
this campaign were published in January 2000 in the Annual Report of the SLFA
(Blumer and Vial 1999 ) under the title “Batpalathang, New Archaeological Site near
Jakar, Bumthang District, Bhutan: Preliminary Report for the Investigations of April
1999 ”. Extensive reports were delivered to the governmental agencies concerned in
Bhutan as well as to NGO Helvetas in Zurich and Thimpu. The complete report 1999
is also available online at the following web-address:
http://bhutan-project-1999.tripod.com
Campaign 2000
Initially planned for a duration of three months, the second fieldwork campaign
started early April 2000. Our multidisciplinary team from Switzerland included Reto
Blumer (archaeologist and project head), Luc Braillard (geologist and sedimentologist), Colette Gremaud (biologist/field assistant), and Frédérique Vial (ethnology
student and field assistant). We started proper fieldwork on April 6th. After six weeks,
two Swiss participants had finished their part of the program and returned to
Switzerland. A third participant left after eleven weeks. The archaeologist extended
his fieldwork for another month and travelled back to Europe at the end of July.
The archaeological investigation concentrated mainly on both structures and
complexes unearthed partly in 1999 (complex B1-B2 and monument B3 ), for which
rapid intervention was necessitated by the threat of the ongoing construction work.
Other archaeological features located within the immediate vicinity of the building
site were also briefly documented. An average number of eight local fieldworkers
hired by the RNR-RC building site assisted us in the field. The working schedule was
set to six days a week and was only interrupted by local weather conditions and during popular religious festivals, which are numerous in Central Bhutan.
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A secondary goal of the campaign was to test the potential of oral accounts by
locating new archaeological features in the region, especially in the Choskhor valley around the district headquarter of Jakar. One Swiss participant, assisted by a local
translator, carried out numerous interviews with the locals, with particular emphasis on gaining knowledge from the local elders. This investigation procedure enabled
us to locate a number of sites with various archaeological potentials. Most locations
were described summarily and some of them were investigated briefly and documented. Among the main results of this survey procedure, we were able to locate
a large and important historic fort ruin, which had remained unknown to most of
the locals, although its name has been mentioned in historical records and studies.
Report Distribution
The first part of this final report is to be submitted to NGO Helvetas, to the Ministry
of Agriculture, to the Special Commission for Cultural Affairs, and to the Secretary
General of the SLFA for approval. This report will also be accessible online at the following web-address: http://bhutan1999 – 2000.tripod.com
2.
Geographical Setting
We already described the natural, historical and cultural contexts of our investigations in the report for 1999 (Blumer and Vial 1999 : 208 – 218 ). Nevertheless, it is useful to give a short overview of the natural and humane environment in which our
discoveries were made and are located.
Kingdom of Bhutan
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small independent state located on the southern fringe
of the Himalayas (Fig. 1). Its vernacular name is Druk Yul – the Land of the Thunder
Dragon. With a surface of 46,500 km2 stretching from 88°45’ to 92°10’ eastern longitude and from 26°40’ to 28°15’ northern latitude, the Bhutanese territory is encompassed by Tibet to the north and India to the south (the states of Arunachal Pradesh
to the east, Assam to the southeast, West Bengal to the southwest and Sikkim to the
west). Eastern Nepal and northern Bangladesh lie adjacent to the Bhutanese borders.
Geographical Zoning
Bhutan is divided into three geographical zones: The Sub-Himalayas consisting of
hilly terrain and representing the southern part of the country. There the climate is
warm and rainfall is important throughout the monsoon season. The Inner Himalayas
represent the central belt and consist of higher mountain ridges and valleys receiving limited rainfall. To the north, the Great Himalayas feature high mountain ranges
and everlasting snow.
Choskhor Valley
The Choskhor drainage basin is one of the most important irrigation systems within
the central belt. It irrigates four valleys in the area of Bumthang: the Choskhor valley (Fig. 2), the Tang valley, the Chhume valley and the Ura valley. The Choskhor chu
is an impressive river draining water from the Great Himalayas from north to south.
It is a confluent stream of the Mangde chu, which runs through the southern
Bhutanese border into the Indian plain.
The altitude of the Choskhor valley in the area of Jakar, the capital city of the
Bumthang district, averages 2600 m above sea level. This rather high elevation does
not allow the cultivation of rice, which is traditionally replaced by large buckwheat
fields.
Today, access to Bumthang is possible through the east-west transnational
road. One enters into the Bumthang District from the west through the Yotong La
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( 3425 m) and down into the Chhume valley. Another pass, the Kiki La ( 2750 m),
must be climbed before entering the southern Choskhor valley. Jakar lies a few kilometres north, along the Choskhor chu, at about 2580 m.
The town of Jakar is both the administrative and commercial centre of the district. With a few thousand inhabitants, the centre of the locality is small in surface
and consists of a mixture of low shops along the main roads and impressive traditional housing units in the rows beyond (Fig. 3). Toward the north and for a distance
of about 10 km, large areas of the wide valley are inhabited. This is not the case
toward the south, where the valley narrows a few kilometres below Jakar.
The district centre is overlooked by the Jakar dzong – officially named Yuelay
Namgyal Dzong – its monastic fortress (Fig. 4). Built in 1667 atop a promontory on
the western flank of the valley, the dzong is said to be the largest such historical
monument in Bhutan with a circumference of more than 1500 m. Traditionally, the
dzong used to house both the spiritual and temporal powers of the region. Nowadays, the monastic body of Trongsa, the neighbouring district centre, only occupies
the monument during wintertime and, with the extension and modernization of the
administrative organization, the dzong serves as the administration core centre of
the dzongkhag (district). It features one of the most impressive dzongs of Bhutan,
erected in 1667. In the same valley, some of the most renowned monasteries and
temples are increasingly becoming tourist attractions.
Local Economy
The economy in Bumthang is still based mainly on subsistence agriculture, but in the
last decade, the national government fostered the introduction of cash-crop-economy, implemented industrial projects and other introduced services. On a national
level, the agricultural activities represent 85% of the economy (Fig. 5). For thirty
years, successful NGO and governmental projects have introduced cattle breeding
6
3
2
4
Topographical, political and cultural map
of the Choskhor Valley in the Bumthang
District. GIS data compiled by R. Blumer,
2000–2001, based on Land Use Working
Map 1:50,000 (Sheets 78/10 and 78/14 ) and
on Topographic Map 1:50,000 (Sheet 78/10 ).
Mapping: R. Blumer, 2001.
3
View of traditional house architecture
in the district centre of Jakar. Photograph:
F. Vial, 1999.
4
View of Jakar from the northeast.
Chokhor chu runs from right to left in the
foreground. The white Tibetan-style chörten
is commemorating the victory of Bhutanese
troops over Tibetan invaders in the 17th
century A.D. A group of men set up a new
prayer flag in the field. Jakar dzong overlooks
the district centre from the background.
Photograph: F. Vial, 1999.
5
A rural farm located near Batpalathang.
Photograph: F. Vial, 1999.
6
5
6
Subsistence agriculture represents 85%
of the Bhutanese economy. All age groups
participate in the farming activities to some
and herding in Bumthang. On the local side of Bumthang, one important project led
extent. Photograph: F. Vial, 2000.
to the early appearance of a co-operative including Brown Swiss cattle breeding,
Haflinger horse breeding, orchard development, and cheese production. This cooperative is located a few kilometres to the northeast of Jakar, at a place known as
Batpalathang or Boeplagthang.
Population
The population of the Bumthang district consists of countless ethnic groups of different stock and origin. A majority of the population is considered to be descendants of the Ngalong originating in Tibet. Numerous waves of Ngalong immigration
occurred between the 8th century and 1959, date at which the Popular Republic of
China occupied Tibet. In the Choskhor valley, people of Tibetan origin are said to
be good traders and operate a lot of the shops.
In the northern part of the valley, in the region of Dur, we find the Bromi, a group
that used to live at higher elevations in the northern part of the district. The Bromi
have developed a seasonal culture and are reputed for their bamboo basketwork.
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7
8
In the Ura valley, a population of ancient stock keeps alive the memory of many
Bön traditions, an animistic belief in which local natural deities play a central role.
Overall, the valley’s society appears very colourful and is characterized by an
intermingled relationship between representatives of the various local traditions and
professional backgrounds (Fig. 6).
Linguistic Variety
Although the Kingdom’s official language is Dzongkha, many local languages and
dialects are still spoken in many regions. In Bumthang, the dominating language
originates from the old Tibetan and is called Bumthangkha. If numerous affinities
exist between Bumthangkha and Dzongkha, which is not the case between
Bumthangkha and Sharshopkha, then the language spoken in the eastern districts
of the country seems to be of the oldest stock in Bhutan (emerging earlier than the
7th century A.D.). English is widely spoken and written by government officials at
national and regional levels, and by school pupils and youngsters having received
recent education, but the population of the rural areas, villages and hamlets does
generally not master it. In most areas around Jakar foreigners need the help of a
translator to be able to make personal contact and gain personal encounters with
the population there.
3.
Contextual Setting
The archaeological site named Batpalathang is located on a flat alluvial terrace that
lies above the Choskhor valley floor ( 2600 m a.s.l.), on its eastern flank. The altitude
of the terrace at the location of the archaeological site is 2676 m based on an average of multiple GPS and altimeter6 recordings. This 70-m terrace is the highest of a
group of three, the first becoming intermittently visible at 10 m and the second
appearing more clearly at 40 m. The existence of a fourth alluvial terrace at more
than 300 m above the valley’s floor is assumed (Bhutan Soil Survey Project 1998 :12 ).
In fact, we could indeed detect the remains of this higher terrace, deeply weath-
6
ered, at an elevation of about 2950 – 3050 m in the investigation sector.
Luc Braillard, our geologist.
8
Personal altimeter belonging to
7
A view of the royal palace of Wangdich-
holing ( 1857 ), north of Jakar, in 1970. The
third King of Bhutan ruled from this valley. In
Built in 1999, administration
building already shifted because
of structure B1.
the background, the 70-m alluvial terrace,
on which the Batpalathang site is located, is
Planned for 2000
clearly visible above the 40-m terrace. Modified by R. Blumer, 2001, from a photograph
by Anthony Aris, 1970, In: Aris 1994:59.
8
Cut in the 70-m terrace below the
archaeological site area, showing the massive alluvial boulder and sand accumulation.
Photograph: R. Blumer 1999.
9
Sketch map of the construction site for
the governmental agronomic research centre
on the 70-m terrace at Batpalathang. The
map features the locations of the discovered
9
archaeological structures. The RNR research
centre consists of four large buildings, a central yard, a parking lot, and a black-topped
access road. B1: underground stone
structure; B2 : stonewall remains; B3 : trapezoid stone platform; B4 : undetermined ruin.
Geomorphologic Context
Eroding streams running east-northeast to west-southwest toward the Bumthang
chu regularly cut across all three alluvial terraces. Nowadays, the forested blue pine
overgrowth (Pinus wallichiana) makes it difficult to follow the terrace riser edges
Map: R. Blumer 1999–2000, redrawn from
with precision. A photograph (Fig. 7) taken by Anthony Aris in 1970 shows that the
RNR-RC Jakar/Helvetas Bhutan 1999:2.
area of study had undergone an extensive deforestation of the lower sides of the
valley thirty years ago. This older picture gives a clear view of the 40-m and 70-m
alluvial terraces and the transecting stream cutting across.
To the east of the archaeological site, a small stream, which seems to have dried
up almost completely, has progressively filled a shallow channel that is still visible in
the topographic record (see also Fig. 9, between B3 and B4 ). Nowadays, this stream
brings in just sufficient water volume to make the area spongy and wet. At the terrace riser edge, the stream flows regularly during monsoon and cuts into the upper
terrace riser edge. It then forms a small alluvial fan on the 40-m terrace.
To the east of this stream, we found a large, flat, grassy area used today as pasture land for cattle and horses. The pasture is limited to the east and south by blue
pine forest.
Sedimentary Setting
Based on our own observations, the local sedimentary deposits of the 70-m terrace
consist of a very thick alluvial accumulation of almost spherical boulders, mostly of
crystalline origin, densely fixed in a hardened matrix of sand. This layer, which covers
and hides the crystalline bedrock (mostly mica-garnet schists), shows an impressive
thickness attaining at least 10 metres (Fig. 8).
The sedimentary mass overlying these coarse alluvial deposits consists of layers
of yellow sandy loam of varying thickness. In some areas near the RNR-RC building
site, its thickness attains more than 2.5 metres; in July 2000, we observed more than
3 metres of upper deposits in the pit we dug to hold the septic tank of the new
research centre, near the terrace riser. The highest sediment deposit of the terrace
consists of brown, humic, and slightly clayey silt. Locally, this newer soil is fairly thick
due to colluvial action that, in our opinion, occurred recently and was caused by
anthropic deforestation at higher elevations.
In our preliminary report for 1999 (Blumer and Vial 1999 ), we reported on a possible wind-blown process which could have produced the 2.5 – 3.5 m thick loam
intermediary deposit of the terrace mass. Such an event could have occurred in the
late Holocene period, i.e. ca. 4000 – 2000 B.P. We based our documentation on earlier observations made by Gratzer and Rai in 1997 (in: Bhutan Soil Survey Project
1998 :10 ). It is not yet clear whether the loam deposits are due to such a process or
9
if it is necessary to look for another explanation. The loessic influence could be
caused by the high silty content of the upper 50 – 60 cm (between 40 and 50%, see
Bhutan Soil Survey Project 1998 : 41, 55 ). But, in our opinion, the sandy loam underlying this upper part derives from old fine alluvial deposits, deeply weathered by
pedogenesis. (A mineralogical study of this sediment, showing the presence or
absence of allochthonous grains, could resolve the enigma.)
Vegetation Cover
The local vegetation cover consists mainly of blue pine forest (Pinus wallichiana),
which is locally exploited for timber and fuel wood. The ground vegetation in the
dense forest is sparse and is found to be concentrated in widely forested areas
(young pines, rose [Rosa sericea], and poplar [Populus]). Bamboo (Yushania sp.)
grows densely in wet zones, and sedges (Juncus sp.) grow on rims with irregular
drainage (Bhutan Soil Survey Project 1998 :13 ).
The flat terraced areas were found to be mostly deforested. Exotic forage species
(cocksfoot grass, perennial ryegrass, and legume white clover) were planted in these
locations to improve pasture (ibid.).
Toponymy
The toponym Batpalathang is a popular derivative of a Tibetan denomination (Boeplagthang) meaning “the place where the Tibetans were defeated”. This transliteration is apparently widespread among the local population. In fact, the geographical data indicates that the name is associated with the nearby locality where
the shop signs indeed mention the name Boeplagthang as the place’s name.
Although the archaeological site is located at 1.1 kilometre from the hamlet Boeplagthang, we kept Batpalathang as the site name since the discovery was made at
the location of the new RNR research centre, which is also named Batpalathang.
4.
Batpalathang Archaeological Site
In this section, we will first describe the discovery of the site and then each structure as they were discovered during building work. The archaeological structures are
located right next to the building complex of a new RNR research centre that has
been in construction since the end of 1998.
The conflicting situation between the construction of the new research centre
compound and the archaeological structures arose as soon as the historicity of the
remains were acknowledged during the campaign of 1999. At this stage we were
able to determine that the main conflict involved one of the new buildings and one
of the archaeological structures. The planned construction could not be executed
without integrally destroying this monument.
The development of the conflicting situation and solutions to avoid destruction
are reviewed in detail in Appendix 2 at the end of this paper. In Appendix 3, we propose steps toward preserving this monument.
First Discovery
The precise events of the discoveries made at the site are detailed in our report for
1999 (Blumer and Vial 1999 ). They were based on the information gathered locally
from the site’s architect, consultants, engineers, and workers and are supplemented
by the information related to in a preliminary discovery report by the local consultant W. Roder and architect F. Baumgartner ( RNR-RC / Helvetas 1999 ).
The first structure, Batpalathang-B1, was discovered in 1998 while digging the
foundation trench of the first RNR-RC building (“Administration building”) (Fig. 9: B1).
It first appeared as a buried and partly hollow dome-shaped roof built of large flat
stones (see also: Blumer and Vial 1999 : 218 – 219, Fig. 9, Tab. 4, Fig. 19cc22 ). The trench
10
dig and further exploration by the site team led to the dismantling of the upper part
of the dome-shaped roof and to the removal of several square metres of filling of the
underground structure. Few artefacts and samples were collected while proceeding
(pottery fragments, millstone fragments, grinding stone, and wooden remains). To
avoid the full destruction of B1, the team in charge of the building work decided to
shift the Administration and Professional buildings in a south-to-east direction.
Discovery of Batpalathang-B3
The second structure, Batpalathang-B3, was partly uncovered during mechanical terracing work in the eastern part of the building site, at the location of the future
fourth building (Laboratory building) (Fig. 9: B3 ). The remains had the shape of a
quadrangular and flat surface of stones. The mechanical shovel removed an undetermined number of the upper stones and the yardsite team proceeded to manually
clean the stone surface. In the process, a bronze coin, apparently of Tibetan origin, was
retrieved from the sediment near the platform (see also Blumer and Vial 1999 : 218 –
219, Figs. 10, 31, Tab. 6, Fig. 39 ). The remains of B3 were threatened directly by the
construction of the Laboratory building, planned for 2000 (see also Appendix 2 ).
Other remains
Near the underground structure B1 the remains of a wall protruded through the
grassy vegetation cover. Those remains, called Batpalathang-B2, were linear in shape,
following a slight ridge, and showed a southeast-northwest orientation (Fig. 9: B2 ).
No work was carried out by the RNR-RC team, excepting the clearing of the southwestern side of the remains on a length of approximately 2 metres (see also Blumer
and Vial 1999 : 219 and 235 ). This structure could be threatened by the building of
the parking lot and by landscaping work.
A fourth location with archaeological potential was discovered ca. 110 metres
south of B3. Due to its location, the RNR-RC construction site does not directly threaten
this structure (Batpalathang-B4 ). B4 consists of a small rounded hill located on a small
promontory, oriented east to west, of the 70-m terrace riser (Fig. 9: B4 ). Covered by
fully-grown blue pines, the structure shows scattered building elements of stones
on its surface and along the slopes of the promontory (see also: Blumer and Vial
1999 : 219 – 220, Fig. 11). Agricultural terrain is situated along the eastern edge of the
structure B4. Neither the RNR-RC team nor we did any excavation work in 1998 or 1999.
With those four structures, the area of the 70-m terrace was considered a location with high archaeological potential. And, for the first time in the history of the
Kingdom of Bhutan, a site with archaeological potential was being threatened by
construction work, which led to the first archaeological fieldwork ever carried out
in the Kingdom.
5.
The Investigation Campaigns 1999 and 2000
The team in charge of the RNR-RC building site informed the governmental authorities (Ministry for Agriculture and National Commission for Cultural Affairs, formerly
SCCA ) about the findings. Lyonpo7 Kinzang Dorji, Minister for Agriculture of the
RGoB8, asked NGO Helvetas to organize an archaeological investigation of the structures directly threatened by the ongoing building work. Helvetas contacted the SLFA
in February 1999 and a first investigation campaign was able to start on April 6th,
1999, for four weeks. A second fieldwork campaign took place from April to July
2000, allowing further documentation on the site.
Investigation Campaign 1999
7
Minister title
During the campaign 1999, we were a small team consisting of 1 archaeologist, 1
8
Royal Government of Bhutan
representative of the Special Commission for Cultural Affairs, 1 field assistant, and
11
3 to 6 fieldworkers. The main goal was to recognize the archaeological potential
Tab. 1 Documentation summary for the
(historical and cultural significance) of the structures B1, B2 and B3, which were
campaign 2000.
being directly threatened by the new buildings. Our report for 1999 gives a detailed
insight into the investigation procedures as well as advising further steps to be taken
toward the complete site documentation and preservation.
The main results of the first investigation were:
— The structures B1 and B2 are linked to form an architectural complex of a defensive nature.
— The stone structure B3 is a massive monument of ceremonial nature.
— the historicity of monuments B1-B2 and B3 is ascertained by radiocarbon dating ( 8th – 9th century and 16th century A.D.).
— The cultural importance of complex B1-B2 cannot be ascertained due to a lack
of comparative historical and archaeological sources for this period, but its historical importance is obvious since it is the first buried ruin to be documented
on for this period.
— The cultural importance of monument B3 is owed to its shape, which has no
known equivalent in the country. Its historical importance cannot be ascertained
due to a lack of comparative historical and archaeological sources.
Excavation Campaign 2000
An interdisciplinary team of four Swiss acted as core investigation group during the
second and main excavation campaign: 1 archaeologist, 1 geologist/sedimentologist,
1 biologist, and 1 ethnology student. As in the preceding year, a representative of the
9
We would like to sincerely thank all local
National Commission for Cultural Affairs (formerly SCCA ) from Thimpu completed our
fieldworkers who assisted us during the cam-
team. A group of 8 to 10 local fieldworkers9 was hired for us by the RNR-RC manage-
paign 2000: Am Rinzin, Dechen, Karma,
ment to assist us in the excavations. The campaign duration, which was initially
Lhamo, Lhamo Yeshi, Omnath Rai, Pema Tser-
planned for three months, was extended for one more month until the end of July.
ing, Sonam Choden, Sonam Dema, and Tashi
Chesom. We also thank the RNR-RC site per-
The goals set for the second campaign included the following points:
— Full excavation and documentation of the B3 monument in order to enable the
RNR-RC management to set up a final strategy concerning the shifting of the
planned buildings within their master plan.
sonnel that regularly gave us a hand. Special
thanks go to the site junior engineer Bhim B.
Pradhan who permitted constructive interaction.
10
— Completion of excavation and documentation of the B1-B2 complex in order to
gain a complete overview of the structural and non-structural remains.
— Testing of buried structure B4, located outside the threatened area.
— Acquiring of oral information from the local population concerning other potential archaeological or historical sites or remains in the Choskhor valley.
— Locating, mapping and briefly describing new sites or remains based on acquired
local information.
We thank Dr. Walter Roder of RNR-RC
Jakar for lending us a Sony Mavica digital
camera. We were easily able to print out
digital shots on site using the RNR-RC office
computer and printer. This helped us to save
a lot of time.
11
We used three cameras: one Canon AE-1
reflex camera with 28-mm, 50-mm, and
100-mm lenses and a flashlight, all lent to us
— Establishing the archaeological potential of the visited regions for future archae-
by Mrs. Nicole Reynaud, Vevey, Switzerland;
one Canon FTb with 50-mm lens lent to us
ological investigations.
An inestimable amount of data was secured during the course of the four-month
campaign, enabling all of the above-mentioned goals to be reached and presented
in this report. Among the raw data, the following is worth a short summary (Tab. 1):
by Mrs. Annette Meuwly, Avry-devant-Pont,
Switzerland; and one Leica with 50-mm lens
belonging to Luc Braillard.
12
We used a Garmin 12 Personal Navigator
GPS system belonging to the Swiss National
Document
Field journal
Drawings, sketches, measurement sheets, etc.
Digital photographs10
Slides and negative photographs11
GPS recordings12
Computer databases13
Preliminary analytic report on the conflicting situation
Total
Tab. 1
12
Quantity
› 170 pages
› 190 sheets
362 pictures
› 1600 pictures
› 120 points
4
1
› 2447 documents
Foundation for Scientific Research (SNF) and
lent to us by Dr. Yvon Csonka, University of
Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
13
We processed data on an IBM Thinkpad
laptop computer belonging to the SLFA
(Chukotka project) and on a Dell laptop computer lent to us by Mrs. Suzanna Jakimovski,
Fribourg.
Retrospectively, it appears that both campaigns were successful when also taking
into consideration the work environment and working conditions: due to the great
commitment of an inexperienced workforce, we are today able to characterize more
than five archaeological structures in the Choskhor valley. Needless to say, we
focussed our main energy on documenting monument B3 and complex B1-B2, these
being the foremost endangered complexes. As to the remainder, we can now give
a descriptive account on other remains of archaeological importance in the Choskhor
valley of Bumthang.
6.
Batpalathang-B3 : A Puzzling Ritual Monument
The monument Batpalathang-B3 is located about 80 m southeast of the complex
Batpalathang-B1-B2. It appears as an individual monument and doesn’t seem directly
or indirectly related to any other archaeological structure observed in the vicinity.
Morphology and State of Preservation
B3 is located on the slope running from the western flank of the north-south ridge
above the flat area of the 70-m terrace. The parts of the landscape-morphology in
which B3 is set could never be observed directly by our team, since large volumes of
sediment had been relocated during mechanical terracing work. Although remains of
the original grass surfaces could be identified in cuts near the monument, some artificial cuts made in the landscape could not be reconstructed with absolute precision.
Among the data that is subject to estimation, the height of the mound that was
visible at the location of B3 prior to any work can only be approached by a series of
approximate altitude measurements made by the RNR-RC team in 1998, by a few
photographic illustrations shot shortly before terracing, and finally, by a limited number of oral accounts of local observers. At least two apparently natural mounds were
visible in the landscape prior to the terracing work. The eastern mound held two
blue pines and a shrub tree and was smaller than the western one, which was also
covered by at least two blue pines.
When the site engineer brought the mechanical shovel to a halt in 1998, because
of the appearance of a structure in the sediment, a certain number of stones had
already been removed. The manual cleaning of the stone surface by the site team
was very carefully done, with only minimal disturbance to the structure.
When we started the manual clearing of sediment covering the platform surface,
we found the structure to be seemingly well preserved. Near the platform edges and
corners, some of the surface stones had been slightly disturbed from their original positions, but they are easily replaced at approximate location in the reconstruction drafts.
We found some signs of disturbance in the centre part of the quadrangular surface. A progressive process occurring through time had caused these disturbances
(we were able to prove that they were not due to the modern terracing work). We
could also see that other parts of the excavated structures have undergone historic
destruction processes too.
In the course of the excavation, we generally could not locate preserved organic
material like wood, except for two postholes uncovered in the 2000 campaign, near
the south-western corner of the monument. Charcoal, which was sometimes found
in large quantities, was well preserved in all sediment deposits of the site. All mineral materials showed signs of excellent preservation. Metallic remains showed variable states of preservation: iron had oxidized badly, but was still solid, bronze showed
slight to medium verdigris patina, and other metals showed little oxidation.
Excavating Monument B3
After its discovery in 1998 during mechanical terracing work, the excavation of B3
was carried out in three steps. The first was a manual clearing of debris lying over
13
a quadrangular stone surface, which was done by the RNR-RC team shortly after discovery. The cleared surface was photographed and roughly described (Fig. 10). The
results led to a preliminary report (RNR-RC/Helvetas 1999) and to the subsequent
archaeological investigations by the SLFA team.
The second step was the investigation we made in April 1999 to determine the
exact shape of the stone structure, its integration within the surrounding sediment
deposits and eventually to discover samples for dating the structure. At the end of
our first excavation, the structure had the shape of a trapezoidal platform built on
a sloping ground. Although the platform showed an almost flat surface, it appeared
that the stones in its surface centre were marked by strong centripetal sloping angles,
10 Partially cleared structure surface
thus forming a clear depression. This indicated that the platform once contained a
shortly after the discovery of B3. Digital
covered hollow space, or chamber, which would have collapsed in the course of time.
photograph: F. Baumgartner, 1998.
The archaeological documentation gathered in 1999 led to a site characterization in
our preliminary report (Blumer and Vial 1999 ), which served to help plan the next
excavation steps.
Between April and July 2000, it became apparent that one of the planned buildings was to be built precisely on the location of the old stone platform, thus creating a conflicting situation. The excavation 2000 was intended to resolve this problem by achieving a full structural and archaeological documentation of the platform,
which would then have been removed to leave the area free for the new construction. In the course of the excavation it appeared that the monument did not only
consist of the trapezoidal stone platform of limited surface uncovered in 1999, but
also of a surrounding retaining wall of a very large dimension and identical trapezoidal shape. At this point it became evident that we had to invest additional time
to follow and uncover the newly found structure, and this activity took up most of
our working time in 2000. It was even necessary to extend the campaign duration
for another month in order to achieve most of the excavation work.
At the end of the campaign, certain portions had not been described in full
detail (stone by stone, small scale), owing to the short investigation time. Nevertheless, it is possible today to give a clear picture of the monument with the help of
the documentation we gathered.
Appraisal Methods and Excavated Surface
The methodological approach we chose was able to function due to the strategic and
logistic setting. It consisted of the following selection of procedures and appraisal
techniques (Tab. 2):
14–17
We used two Leica Kernlevel 24 for alti-
tude measurements. One belongs to the Swiss
National Foundation for Scientific Research
and was lent to us by Dr. Yvon Csonka, University of Neuchâtel. Fine horizontal measurements were achieved using a Leica Disto Classic laser device that proved to be very useful in
many short- to middle-range situations.
14
Feature
Technique
Elaboration
Platform surface
“Stone by stone”/1:10-scale drawing/
Mapping
Slide photographs/Altitude measurements14 /Sloping angles
Platform surface
Mapping
Platform surface
Mapping
Platform surface
Mapping
Platform sidewalls
Mapping
Slide photographs
Chamber roof
“Stone by stone”/1:10-scale drawing of surface/
Mapping/Architectural characterization
Slide photographs/Digital photographs of underlying stone
layers/Altitude measurements
Chamber roof
“Stone by stone”/1:10-scale drawing of surface/
Mapping/Architectural characterization
Slide photographs/Digital photographs of underlying stone
layers/Altitude measurements
Chamber fill
Slide photographs/Digital photographs/
Mapping/Deposit characterization
Altitude measurements/Sediment descriptions
Chamber fill
Chamber fill
Chamber walls
Mapping
Slide photographs/Surface measurements
Chamber walls
Mapping
Slide photographs/Surface measurements
Chamber floor
Slide photographs/Digital photographs/Altitude measurements
Mapping
Chamber floor
Mapping
Chamber floor
Mapping
Artefacts
Individual 3D position recording/(Slide photographs)
Distribution patterns
Artefacts
Artefacts
Peripheral walls
Sketch mapping
Peripheral walls
Sketch mapping
Peripheral walls
Sketch mapping
Stratigraphic profiles
1:10- and 1:20-scale drawings/Slide photographs
3D restitution and reconstructions/
Deposit characterizations/Structural
integration/Sampling context
Monument and surroundings
Slide photographs/Digital photographs/Crosscut altitude
Monument general shape and
measurements
contextual setting
measurements
contextual setting
measurements
contextual setting
measurements
contextual setting
Tab. 2 Methodological procedures applied to document monument B3.
15
The following figure gives an overview of the excavated surface in relation to the
main structural remains (Fig. 11). An illustration of the surface we excavated in 1999
can be found in our preliminary report (Blumer and Vial 1999 : 241). Due to the limited time, we decided not to set up a complex system of quadrangular sections but
to develop the excavation surface by adding irregular sections, which enabled us to
follow specific archaeological questions progressively. Another difficulty in arranging the sections was caused by the temperament of our fieldworkers, who were not
always eager to follow straight lines. Since they were all novices in this kind of work,
we preferred to give them a certain amount of freedom instead of directing them
too strictly. In the end, no archaeological data was lost due to this and all our goals
were reached, which proves the viability of our strategic choices in organizing the
excavation. Fig. 11 also shows the precise location of the stratigraphic cuts we made
and documented. Two cuts (Cut 3 and Cut 4 ) are located at some distance from the
main excavation area and are therefore not shown on this map.
In each newly opened section, the following methodological procedure was
applied: ( 1) removal of debris and sediment accumulated during recent terracing
work (shovels); ( 2 ) excavation of soil layers covering structural remains or anthropic
deposits (trowels); ( 3 ) excavation of anthropic deposits around structural remains
(trowels); ( 4 ) surface documentation of structural remains (scale drawings and/or
digital and positive colour photographs, altitude measurements).
In some sections, the surface obtained showed clear accumulations of collapsed
structural elements. In such cases, and at specifically chosen locations, we removed
the collapsed elements after proper surface documentation, in order to access and
document the base of the anthropic structures. The removed stones were piled in
specific spots: near square N98 for the western outer wall and near square U3 for
the cut through the eastern outer wall.
The excavation of the platform chamber filling necessitated the numbering of
the surface stones belonging to the collapsed chamber roof. An individual number
reported on the 1:10-scale surface drawings marked all the stones referred to. At
the end of the campaign, the numbered stones were stored under a plastic sheet in
the area of square A5.
The archaeological material was collected with individual three-dimensional
coordinates, so each artefact can be replaced in its initial sedimentary and structural
context.
Reto Blumer, Luc Braillard, and Colette Gremaud did all of the drawings of the
structural remains of monument B3. Blumer and Braillard shot all of the photographs.
Structural Description
At the end of the 1999 campaign, we reported that the structure B3 was an individual monument with the shape of a stone platform. We thought it possible that
the platform could have been covered with an artificial sediment mound. A small
additional test cut at the front of the southern platform edge revealed that in this
area, the earthen mound also contained large stones lying in unstructured positions.
We guessed that these stones had been placed in front of the highest platform edge
in order to gain time and material. Chronologically, we estimated that the earthen
mound was contemporary with the construction of the platform, i.e. that it had accumulated soon after completion of the stone platform. In our opinion, the monument consisted not only of the stone platform, but also of the earthen mound covering it. We published a sketch-cut of the hypothetical reconstruction of the mound,
based on data available in 1999 (Blumer and Vial 1999 : 242, Fig. 34 ).
Today, the overall picture of monument B3 has considerably changed. We had
to integrate lots of new data gained during the 2000 excavation, and we can now
justifiably confirm the newly inferred reconstruction to be final.
16
11
Map of excavated surfaces, stone
masonry superstructures, and stratigraphic
cuts. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
11
General Shape
Monument B3 consists mainly of dry-stone masonry superstructure and packed sediment masses. A central platform (Fig. 11, squares C–H / 2 – 6 ) with marked trapezoid
shape has the following dimensions: long edge located south: 5.5 m, short edge
located north: 4.0 m, trapeze height: 4.5 cm.
As we already mentioned in 1999, the platform surface shows a clear but shallow depression in its centre. We supposed this to indicate a collapsed chamber,
which was confirmed in 2000. Other than this, there is absolutely no sign indicating any access to the inner space.
The platform is situated within a peripheral stonewall (Fig. 11), but not in a
central position; the platform is located more toward the large southern edge of
the trapezoid peripheral structure. The peripheral wall is built as a retaining wall,
with a straight aligned outer face and irregular inner face. On the inner side,
between the peripheral wall stones and the platform, the sedimentary record shows
that the deposits were accumulated artificially shortly after construction of the
stone platform and that the peripheral outer wall served also to retain those
deposits from flowing outwards. This indicates that the peripheral wall was constructed at the same time as the sediment accumulation between outer wall and
the platform. Thus, the monument consists of at least the following three structural elements: ( 1) chambered platform, ( 2 ) sediment accumulation, and ( 3 ) peripheral wall. Secondary structures linked directly to the monument B3 were observed
near the western part of the peripheral wall.
Platform Flanks
At the end of the excavation, most of the four platform flanks were visible (Fig. 12);
the only exception being the area of square F / 6 where a witness profile was left.
We documented all four flanks with 1:10-scale drawings and photographs. The
southern platform wall was not drawn integrally due to a lack of time, but its general features are in all factors similar to the drawn part. Our illustrations (Fig. 13)
clearly show that the platform is built on a 7 – 9 degrees sloping ground, as we
already supposed in 1999. The slope direction seems to be responsible for the general orientation of the platform’s central axis (south-north platform axis is approximately 15 degrees from northern direction).
17
12
Partial view of eastern platform flank.
Photograph: R. Blumer, 2000.
Tab. 3
13
Dimensions of platform flanks.
The four flanks of the platform (three
integral recordings of the eastern, northern
and western walls, and a partial recording of
the southern wall). Light pattern: building
ground sediment; dark pattern: interstitial
sediment; crosshatch: roots. Drawing: R.
Blumer, 2001, from scale 1:10 field records.
12
The dimensions of the four platform flanks are summarized in the following table
(Tab. 3):
Platform
Top
Base
Minimum
Central
flank length
length
height
height
height
Maximum
North
372 cm
388 cm
26 cm
27 cm
40 cm
East
405 cm
412 cm
34 cm
73 cm
93 cm
South
514 cm
534 cm
90 cm
100 cm
110 cm
West
423 cm
425 cm
48 cm
78 cm
99 cm
The architectural technique used to build the platform is partly indicated by the flank
features. The stone modules used by the builders show three stone categories: ( 1)
middle- and large-sized angular boulders 15 – 50 cm, ( 2 ) middle-sized rounded boulders 15 – 35 cm, ( 3 ) middle- and large-sized flat slabs 20 – 60 cm, and finally smalland middle-sized angular stones. Little to no gravel was used to fill interstitial gaps
between larger stones. 107 stones are apparent in the eastern flank, which has an
approximated surface18 of 3.1 m2 ; this gives a stone density of 38.5 stones/m2 for
this flank. In the western flank, there are 96 stones on the surface of 2.6 m2, which
results in a slightly lower stone density of 36.9 stones/m2.
In the eastern and western platform walls (Fig. 13), there seems to be no particular set order of the different stone modules, neither along the horizontal nor
the vertical axis. Nevertheless, we noted that the smaller elements have often been
placed under large and flat elements to give the latter a near horizontal position.
We also noted the neat columnar (nine layers) order of the stones in the southwestern corner, showing that the construction workers may have wanted to get a
better alignment of the larger southern wall than of the two sidewalls, even if the
piling was causing a destabilizing effect. The slight inward sloping angle of the
southern wall edge was also noticeable, although it is less pronounced than that
of the eastern and western sidewalls. The spots where no stone was visible are
marked by the sediment texture, which we have shown in our illustrations. During
the final cleaning of the sidewalls, we limited the removal of interstitial sediment
in order to limit the risk of local stone collapse. Tests in some spots showed that
other stones were just covered by this sediment but didn’t lie far beneath the sediment. These interstitial deposits do not indicate any particular architectural technique; we conclusively noted that the construction technique was dry-stone and
that the sediment found in between the flank stones had been pushed in during
18
18
Calculated from a simplified trapeze shape.
13
19
14
16
Key
Interstitial sediment
Hidden wall sections
(at recording time)
Roots
15
20
14
Disturbed surface stones between the
southern platform edge and the peripheral
wall remains. Digital photograph: R. Blumer,
2000.
15
Surface map of the trapezoid stone
platform B3. In squares E / 3–4, we distinguish
the course of the building-work to the peripheral wall and by contemporary earth
accumulation.
We noticed that some stones were lying outside the platform area and could
once have been part of the platform structure itself. Most of those elements are
located between the southern platform edge and the southern peripheral wall
a fireplace from where a sample was radio-
remains, but higher than the latter (Fig. 14). Although it is not quite clear whether
carbon dated in 1999. In squares G / 5–6, the
someone has, in the course of history, shifted the stones intentionally or whether
roots of a blue pine have slightly disturbed
their positions are the result of a natural destruction event, it seems that an anthropic
the southern platform edge during the last
event is more likely since the scatter has occurred almost exclusively in a north-south
20–30 years. Redrawn from scale 1:10 field
direction.
records 1999 and 2000 : R. Blumer, 2000.
16
Stones removed from the platform sur-
face were carefully mapped, numbered, and
Platform Surface
stored for later reconstruction. Digital photo-
In our report for the 1999 campaign, we published a scale drawing showing the cen-
graph: R. Blumer, 2000.
tral part of the platform surface in detail (Blumer and Vial 1999 : 245, Fig. 38 ). We
completed the record square by square in 2000 and are now able to provide a complete overview of the surface (Fig. 15).
Although the general platform shape is well preserved and shows a clear trapezoid shape, we must note that a blue pine tree, which had grown over the location,
has slightly disturbed the south-western platform angle and deformed the trapezoid shape by bending the southern wall outwards (Fig. 15, squares F–G / 6 ). Fortunately, this natural event, which occurred sometime during the 20th century, did not
harm the stone structure enough to make the southern flank collapse. We estimated
that the tree would have started to grow about 20 to 30 years ago.
The stone array of the platform surface seemed quite disorganized at first
glance. A detailed observation shows a higher concentration of flat stone slabs
in the central part and even a quadrangular area with superposed flat stones in
the squares E–G / 3 – 5. The stones in this area also present obvious centripetal
sloping angles, a detail which we already described in 1999 (Blumer and Vial
1999 : 244, Fig. 36 – 37 ). The sloping vectors indicate that the filling of an inner
chamber went through a progressive compaction process or that the hollow
chamber space suddenly collapsed, bringing the stone layers to cover it to settle
10 – 35 cm deeper than their original position. From now on, we shall call this
area the chamber covering.
All around the chamber covering, the surface stones show no indicative sloping angles and mainly lie horizontally, depending on their shape. The module of the
stone is also smaller in size and more rounded boulders can be observed than in the
chamber covering area.
We could not observe any feature indicating that an additional superstructure
could once have existed over the platform surface. The hypothesis that the stone
structure could be the base of a reliquary stupa or chörten monument cannot be
confirmed by any observation we made.
Excavating the Chamber
Since we initially worked toward a dismantling of the platform, we wanted to secure
all information about the precise location of the stones we had to remove to excavate the chamber covering and filling. All the removed stones were numbered with
synthetic paint (Fig. 16) and secured under a plastic sheet in square A / 5.
As this type of monument was being explored for the first time, we had no idea
about the contents of the chamber. It was necessary to proceed with caution, and
R. Blumer took over the responsibility for this specific task. The excavation went
through six stages, corresponding to six removed layers of filling material. Although
filling differences were noticed during the excavation process, no particular deposit
succession could be followed in the limited working area, and artificial layers were
21
thus removed. Moreover, the area was regularly filled with rainwater towards the
17
end of the campaign, making progression and observation sometimes difficult.
vation of the chamber fill.
During the first stage (excavation layer d0 ) we removed many of the superficial
stones belonging to the chamber covering (Fig. 17a), thereby obtaining a rough surface. Once cleaned in excavation stage d1, this surface (Fig. 17b) still showed some
a)
Sub-vertical views shot during the excaRough surface obtained after removal of
the first covering stones (d0 ), square metres
E–F, view from south;
b)
filling surface after the second excava-
flat stones in sloping positions especially along the chamber flanks; we removed
tion stage (d1), square metres E–F / 4, view
most of these in the subsequent stage d2 (Fig. 17c). During stage d3, after the last
from the north;
sloping stones along the flanks of the chamber had been removed, the obtained rough
c)
surface was found to have been made exclusively of a dense accumulation of filling
square metre F / 5, view from the north;
stones and sediment. We progressively removed this fill during excavation stages d3
d)
(Fig. 17d), d4 (Fig. 17e), and d5. In the final stage, we obtained a clear picture of
the emptied chamber itself, with its hardened and flat sediment floor (Fig. 17f).
The deposits found in the chamber fill are heterogeneous in composition. We
surface after third excavation stage (d2 ),
surface after fourth excavation stage
(d3 ), square metres E–F / 4, view from the
north;
e)
surface of squares E–F / 3–5 after fifth
excavation stage (d4 ), sub-vertical view;
were able to distinguish three levels within the fill of the chamber: ( 1) in the upper
f)
20 – 40 cm, the chamber covering is made of at least three concave layers of flat
view of squares E–F / 2–6 (assembled views).
stones, mostly quite large in dimension (up to 80 cm long) with interstitial brown
Digital photographs: R. Blumer, 2000.
silty sediment; ( 2 ) below the covering, the composition changes to a mixture of stones
(rounded and angular boulders) of medium to small size, intermingled with a denser
brown silt deposit; ( 3 ) near the chamber floor, we have a 10 – 25 cm thick layer showing less stone density and a higher compaction degree of the brown-yellowish clayey
silt. The flat chamber floor itself is made of the same compact and impermeable
basal sediment as the deposit on which the platform is built (sediment unit 4 ).
The crosscut figures give detailed insight into the chamber filling composition
and the construction mode. The first shows the thickness of the deposits we excavated in the five last stages d1 to d5 (Fig. 18). In this crosscut, we distinguished a
small pit at meter 2.8 ; this corresponded to a test taken from the obtained surface
after stage d4 to determine the remaining thickness of the chamber filling. The following illustration is the same crosscut as Fig. 18 but with added vertical stone scatter (Fig. 19). Due to the recording technique we used (digital photographs with measured altitudes), we could not reproduce all the filling stones but only those we could
clearly observe in the pictures. This means that more stones were present than the
ones illustrated here. The last drawing is the same crosscut through the platform,
but this time with reported elevation of the eastern chamber wall (Fig. 20). It clearly
shows the use of vertical slabs (here we distinguished vertical elements V6 –V10 )
partly supporting the horizontal stones that constitute the platform itself. It also
clearly indicates how the construction was adapted to the sloping ground on which
the platform is built. We can compare this view to the illustration of the western
platform flank (Fig. 13, top). All three preceding crosscuts show that the southern
wall of the platform is a little thinner ( 90 cm) and higher ( 110 cm) than the northern one ( 100 cm thick and 40 cm high).
Morphology of the Chamber
The chamber can be morphologically reduced to a parallel piped shape that once
measured 236 216 76 cm, with the maximum length from east to west. The
detailed measurements of the chamber walls are reported in the following table
(Tab. 4):
Chamber wall
Floor level
Ceiling level
North
204 cm
216cm
Average
210 cm
South
216 cm
226 cm
221 cm
East
220 cm
243 cm
231.5 cm
West
229 cm
250 cm
239.5 cm
Although some general architectural scheme was applied for the construction of the
chamber walls, we have to note that each wall has features of its own. The sloping
22
emptied chamber surface, sub-vertical
Tab. 4
Dimensions of chamber walls.
17
a
b
c
d
e
f
23
18
19
20
24
21
22
23
18
North to south crosscut through the
platform and the chamber, with reconstructed excavation stages d0 –d5. Drawing:
R. Blumer 2000.
19
North to south platform and chamber
crosscut with part of the chamber filling
stones. Drawing: R. Blumer 2000.
20
North to south platform and chamber
ground on which the platform is built was the main factor determining the layout
of the walls.
The northern chamber wall, as already mentioned, is quite low, rising only 35 – 40
cm above ground (Fig. 21). On the other hand, it is located at the highest point of
the slope in the construction, just above the deepest part of the pit dugout. It is built
partly above the natural sediment to the north and partly over vertical stone slabs
placed against the northern dugout flank (Fig. 20, metre 3 ). Overall, as we observe
crosscut with reported elevation of the east-
its elevation from within the chamber, we notice that its height of 100 cm is approx-
ern chamber wall. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
imately equal to its southern counterpart (Fig. 22).
21
Elevation view of the northern chamber
wall. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2000.
22
Elevation view of the southern chamber
23
Elevation view of the western chamber
The southern chamber wall is built as a true dry-stone wall averaging 100 cm
in height (Fig. 22). In the chamber, the builders also placed vertical stone slabs at its
base, but in this case the vertical elements weren’t the supporting wall stones as in
the northern wall (Fig. 20, metres 5 – 6 ).
The eastern and western chamber walls are similar in construction, although
the western wall shows a neater arrangement of the vertical slabs along its base
(Fig. 23). We also notice that the six vertical flat stones support the construction
above. The lengths of the stones used to build the western wall average 30 cm at
mid-height and become long and flat toward roof level.
Finally, it is important to note that many roofing stones covering the chamber
were found broken. This is partly due to the internal compaction of the chamber fill
and partly because of the mechanical terracing work in 1998. We tried to remove
only a minimum of stones to explore the chamber, so that some of the peripheral
roofing stones are still found around the chamber opening.
Construction Stages
It was only when the chamber was emptied that we could understand the precise
way the platform was built.
During a first step, the construction workers had dug a square pit with an even
ground, approximately 2.5 2.5 m in dimension. In the northern part of the digging area, they excavated down to 65 cm below the surface; in the southern part,
almost no excavation was needed since the natural slope was almost at the same
25
24
25
altitude as the deepest dugout (see also Fig. 20). The flanks of the pit were initially
24
meant to be sub-vertical.
found within the chamber fill. Light gray
In a second stage, the builders had arranged flat stone slabs vertically against
the northern, eastern and western pit flanks. Then they started to build the platform itself around the pit by progressively placing new layers of irregular stones over
Horizontal scatter of pottery fragments
dots: fragments from excavation layer d1;
black dots: fragments from excavation layer
d5. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
25
Horizontal distribution patterns of
the first layer. Layer after layer, small quantities of gravel and sediment were added
reassembled pottery fragments found within
in between the stones. Once the eastern and western platform flanks were almost
the chamber. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
at full height in their centre, the builders added more stones toward the southern
26
edge in order to correct the initial sloping.
fragments found within the chamber. Draw-
The next stage of construction consisted in adding two last layers of flat stones
over the platform flanks. The platform was then finished, but the chamber was still
empty and uncovered.
Chamber Fill and Ceremonials
Once the major part of the construction was ended, the platform chamber was still
empty and lacking proper roofing. It is at this stage that the hypothetical ceremony
must have taken place.
In a first stage, a large mass of sediment and stones was brought into the chamber. The sediment mass consists of light brown-yellowish clayey silts. The stones were
often round pebbles and boulders of crystalline rock found within the alluvial terrace mass underlying the site. Numerous pottery vessels were also thrown into the
chamber in this process (Fig. 24), leaving a scattering of fragments from which we
can derive a few interesting points: ( 1) the fragment scatter groups (Fig. 25) show
an average north-south direction so that we can infer that the pots were most probably thrown into the chamber from the northern or southern side of the platform;
( 2 ) the fragments represent at least five complete vessels; ( 3 ) not all vessels were
thrown simultaneously into the chamber, since varying masses of sediment separate
the fragment groups (Fig. 26); and ( 4 ) the pottery scatter is thicker toward the north
and thinner toward the south of the chamber (Fig. 26 and Fig. 27). From this information, it is clear that the addition of the pots to the chamber fill was not an act of
ordered deposition but a dynamic action in which the systematic breakage of the
vessels was integrated into the ceremonials.
Further information about the type of vessels is given in the part of this report
devoted to the archaeological material.
The chamber fill also contained dispersed charcoal fragments in varying sizes.
Fifteen samples were collected from the chamber fill (Fig. 28). A few bovid skeletal
remains were also recovered: one vertebra, four long bone fragments, three frag26
Vertical links of reassembled pottery
ing: R. Blumer, 2001.
27
Vertical scatter pottery fragment in the
chamber, in relation to the excavation levels.
Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
26
27
mented teeth partly attached to maxillary bone fragment (Fig. 28). From the scatter,
we observed that charcoal and faunal remains are as dispersed within the chamber
as the numerous pottery fragments. We think that the faunal remains come from one
single animal and could possibly represent remainders of a ceremonial process, especially since all vessel fragments were cooking pots with traces of external carbonisation. The charcoals lie in secondary position (not in combustion location). Their direct
correlation with cooking activities cannot be absolutely guaranteed, although they
are most probably linked directly to the building and/or filling of the monument.
Although there are several indications of complex and dynamic processes
involved in the filling of the chamber, it is extremely difficult to reach conclusions
on the complexity of the ceremonials that most definitely would have taken place
around the area of the platform B3. We must note that our results are solely based
on the observation of material remains and that we could make use neither of comparable data nor historical records. Hopefully, further archaeological and historical
work in Bhutan and adjoining regions will one day enable scholars to draw more
conclusive traits of such ceremonials.
Peripheral Wall Morphology
As we stated before, the monument B3 does not only consist of the platform but
also of an artificial sediment accumulation and a peripheral wall. We uncovered the
peripheral wall during the 2000 campaign and did not expect to find such a large
extension of the monument.
27
28
The shape of the peripheral wall is trapezoidal like the platform it circumscribes.
Its longest part stretches in an east-west direction on a length of 15.5 metres and
about 2 metres from the southern platform flank. The parallel side of the trapeze,
Wooden pole base
located to the north, is about 9 metres long. Both the eastern and western sides are
approximately 11 metres long.
We already mentioned that the monument was built on a natural slope. Due to
this, the northern side of the peripheral wall is much lower than both the sides and
the southern wall and consists only of one or two layers of stones. Moreover, a large
gap measuring at least 2.6 metres was observed in the northern side (in squares
C–F / 97 – 98, see Fig. 11). The hypothesis that this gap could have been a kind of
entrance to the area located within the peripheral wall is impossible to prove. It could
29
well be that this portion of the wall was cut off by the mechanical shovel during the
preliminary terracing work in 1998.
The sides of the trapezoidal peripheral wall are preserved to some extent. Due
to the natural slope in the ground, they are low to the north and become higher in
their respective centre. From those centres, their preserved height gets smaller again.
It seems that most of the peripheral wall was dismantled, first by natural erosion
and gravity process, and later by human quarrying. Due to the sloping morphology
of the ground, the mechanical stability of the southern edge was the weakest. In
their centre parts, their shapes show clear signs of outward pressure and destabilization of stones (especially in squares Y / 2 – 3, see Fig. 11). We think that this centrifugal deformation was due to pressure created by the progressive compaction of
the sediment fill between the platform and the peripheral wall.
The southern part of the peripheral wall could not be examined very thoroughly, because we could not clear it entirely during the second campaign. In fact,
it is built on the lowest part of the natural slope and was covered by a large volume of terraced sediment in 1998. The only area where the southern part of the
wall is clearly visible is the southwestern corner (squares L–M / 6 – 7 ). In square metre
L / 7 we discovered a single posthole (labelled PH1), which surprisingly contained
core remains of its wooden post or pole (Fig. 29). The posthole is about 35 cm deep
and has a diameter of 11–12 cm. Five rounded pebbles placed in an upright position surround it. The wooden remains are 34 cm high and indicate that the pole
28
28
Horizontal projection of charcoal frag-
ments and faunal remains found within the
chamber. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
29
Horizontal views of posthole PH1,
located in square L / 7, which contained preserved wooden remains from a pole. Photograph and drawing: R. Blumer, 2000, 2001.
30
31
32
30
View of the scatter of stones which
had a base diameter of 11 cm. The pole base has been nicely sawed at a right angle.
once collapsed from the western peripheral
The posthole PH1 is precisely positioned against the southern edge of the peri-
wall (marked by two black lines). View from
pheral wall.
the south. Digital photograph: R. Blumer,
2000.
31
Sketch map of the western peripheral
The preserved parts of the peripheral wall were surrounded by large and massive zones of scattered stones (Fig. 30, Fig. 31, and Fig. 32) and were therefore not
wall sector. Circles represent postholes.
immediately visible, except in some areas. The scatter of stones is due to a histori-
Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001, from digital pho-
cal collapse of the peripheral wall, which must thus have been much higher than
tographs.
we initially expected. To document the height of the preserved part of the wall, we
32
View of the scatter of stones which
once collapsed from the eastern peripheral
wall (marked by a black line). View from the
south. Photograph: R. Blumer, 2000.
made a cut through the scatter of collapsed stone (along squares V–Y / 3 ) (Fig. 33).
At a later stage, we decided to clear an entire flank of the peripheral wall. We chose
the western side, since the scattering was less dense than along the eastern side.
The result we reached at the end of the campaign was astonishing because of the
level of preservation of the wall, which attained 100 cm in the centre of the western side (Fig. 34).
Construction Technique of the Peripheral Wall
The technique applied for building the peripheral wall was practically the same as
for the central platform. The main difference lies in the abundant use of flat stone
elements, especially along the southern part and in both the southeastern and southwestern corners.
29
33
34
36
35
30
33
Cut made by the accumulation of col-
The observations made during the excavation clearly showed that the outer side
lapsed stones in the centre of the eastern
itself was set nicely, while the inner limit of the peripheral wall remained indistinct
peripheral wall. The height at which the wall
and mostly integrated within the sediment deposits packed in between the peri-
is preserved averages 80 cm. View from the
east. Photograph: R. Blumer, 2000.
34
View of the preserved part of the west-
pheral wall and the central platform. This again clearly shows that the peripheral
wall was built after the central platform had been finished, and also that the arti-
ern peripheral wall after clearing of the col-
ficial gathering of sediment was carried out at the same time as the building of the
lapsed stones. View from the northwest.
peripheral wall. This will be explained in detail in a later section.
35
Map of the postholes discovered under
the collapsed stones along the western
peripheral wall. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
36
Horizontal and vertical views of post-
hole PH3. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
Another feature of the peripheral wall is the regular use of flat and thin slabs.
This type of stone material is almost absent in the central platform. Moreover, we
observed a vast majority of those flat slabs at the base of the collapsed accumulation. Most of them were lying in a horizontal position, quite far from the wall edge,
so at first we thought them to form a paved pathway. We soon recognized that the
flat stones had originally been used for the top layers of the peripheral wall, and
that they had fallen farther than the stone elements lying beneath.
The same type of flat stones was also observed within the base of the southern part of the peripheral wall.
At this stage, the definite origin (stone quarry) of the flat micaschists cannot
be determined precisely, even though we were able to observe existing quarries of
the same type of stones along the side of the valley.
Additional Features
Other interesting features came to light under the massive collapsed stone scatter.
Six roughly aligned postholes were recognized along the southwestern part of the
peripheral wall. They are labelled PH2 – 7 in sequence of apparition (Fig. 35).
Posthole PH2 was found in the southern cut in square N / 8. For the second time,
the remains of the wooden pole were found in situ, surrounded by at least three
vertically placed stones and lying over a fourth horizontal stone. The diameter of
the wooden pole averages 8 – 9 cm in PH2, which is consistent with the posthole
dimensions.
Posthole PH3 is the largest structure of this type found around monument B3
(in square N / 5 ). It is also the first posthole found by horizontal excavation of homogeneous sediment. At first it appeared as a spot with a slight difference in sediment
coloration and texture. While progressively emptying PH3, we found four wedging
stones; three of them were still placed in their original vertical position while the
fourth and largest had fallen into a sub-horizontal position (Fig. 36). The estimated
diameter of the pole, which was not preserved, is 18.5 cm, making this pole the
largest of all observed postholes. The depth at which the posthole was dug is about
45 cm. No footing stone was located at the bottom of the structure.
Posthole PH4 is a smaller structure with no apparent evidence of wedging
stones. The diameter of the pole, which was not preserved, must have been about
8 – 10 cm. It has been dug at least 15 cm below the original surface.
Posthole PH5 is the second largest, with an estimated pole diameter of 15 – 16 cm.
It features two wedging stones. Its upper opening is quadrangular in shape, while
its bottom is perfectly rounded. The hole has been dug to a depth of 36 cm below
the original surface.
Posthole PH6 is again a smaller and less complex structure similar to PH4 and
21 cm deep. The maximal diameter of its pole must have been about 8 – 9 cm.
Posthole PH7 is also quite small but features four wedging stones, the largest
being 18 cm long. Its depth is 34 cm. Its diameter must have been about 8 – 10 cm.
The six postholes PH2 – 7 seem to have been arranged following a specific plan.
First of all we noticed that they are grouped in pairs ( PH6 and PH7, PH3 and PH4,
PH2 and PH5 ). The distances between the two posts in each group vary from 82 to
88 cm (average 85 cm). The distance between each group centre is 250 cm and
31
310 cm. The distance between the postholes and the peripheral wall limit varies from
37
112 cm in the southwest ( PH2 ) to 184 cm in the northeast ( PH7 ). The alignment is
Based on records and descriptions by
quite obvious for postholes PH2, PH5, PH4, and PH6.
L. Braillard, 2000. See Appendix 1 for detailed
The comparison between the diameters of our poles and postholes and the
diameter of those of the prayer flags still widely found in the regional landscape led
us to think that monument B3 may well have been flanked by at least one line of
such prayer flags.
Sediment Deposits within the Peripheral Wall
The sediment deposits, artificially accumulated, are an integral part of the monument, along with the central platform and the peripheral wall. This observation is
important for the restitution of a general picture of the monument: in fact, and most
probably, the central platform was invisible in past times, hidden by the artificially
accumulated soil deposits; the only visible structural part of the monument was the
peripheral wall and the assumed rows of prayer flags surrounding it. The best way
to show this is to present the cuts we documented during the second campaign (Fig.
37 and Fig. 38) (see also Fig. 11 for detailed placements of the cuts; cuts 3 and 4 are
located outside the main excavation area).
Cuts 1 and 2 run from the eastern platform flank through the eastern peripheral
wall and outwards through the scatter of collapsed stones. Cut 1 was observed from
the north and cut 2 from the south. While the sediment deposits located outside
the peripheral wall are arranged in a simple manner reflecting partly natural deposition processes, the succession of deposits between the peripheral wall and the platform show a high complexity. Four sedimentary units can be distinguished in cut 1
(Fig. 37: 1). The three upper deposits (suR1, suR2, and suR3 ) are interpreted as having an anthropical origin – the builders gathered them during the construction of
the monument (shortly after the platform and probably at the same time as the
peripheral wall was built). The lower unit (su4 ) is the excavated ground on which
the monument is built. In cut 2 (see also Fig. 39) the base unit su4 is covered by two
naturally accumulated layers, one of which (su2.1) being a heavy slope deposit with
a thickness attaining 1 metre in some areas, the other (su2.2 ) being the result of
local washing of the monument ruin itself.
Cut 3 (Fig. 37: 3 ) was made about 13 metres to the north-northeast of the
northern peripheral wall. The goal was to ascertain the sediment deposition in the
slope above the monument, in an area left untouched by the earlier builders. The
cut presented four sedimentary units including the same compact yellowish
brown-gray silt deposit (su4 ) found at the base of the monument. Above it, the
natural soil is composed of a 60 cm thick brown humic layer (su2 ) and thin organic
litter (su1).
Cut 4 (Fig. 37: 4 ) was also made for testing the natural sediment deposition in
the vicinity of the monument, but about 9 metres to the southeast. Over the silty
base su4, the brown soil su2 is 70 cm thick and can be divided into two sub-units
(su2.1: colluvial, recent; su2.3 : colluvial, old). The vegetation litter atop su2.1 is
about 4 – 5 cm thick.
Cut 5 (Fig. 37: 5 ) runs parallel to the eastern peripheral wall of the monument.
It shows the massiveness of the colluvial slope deposit su2.1, the regularity of the
washing deposit su2.2, and the natural slope of the underlying silt deposit su4.
Cut 6 (Fig. 38: 6 ) runs through the southern peripheral wall. Although this cut
doesn’t reach the base deposit su4, it shows the contact between the remains of
the ruined peripheral wall and the artificial sediment accumulated behind it (usR1
and usR3 ). This cut also indicates that the monument underwent major erosion and
probably also endured significant stone removal along its southern edge where the
stones rest below today’s grass surface. Local informants told us that this area was
32
Drawings of stratigraphic cuts 1–5.
descriptions. Drawings: R. Blumer, 2001.
37
known to give back a dull echo when the ground was trodden on. This is definitely
due to the collapsed stones lying under the grass.
Cut 7 (Fig. 38: 7 ) also runs through the southern peripheral wall and could not
be observed as far down as the base sediment su4. As in cut 6, observations confirm the strong erosion that occurred along the southern side of the monument.
The last cut documented is cut 8 (Fig. 38: 8 ). It was made perpendicularly to
the western peripheral wall and features a clear view through the collapsed stone
scatter and associated deposits.
A detailed description of all sedimentary units in each stratigraphic cut can be
found in the appendix to this report.
As we can judge from the brief description of each cut, the deposits which are
the most difficult to interpret are located between the peripheral wall and the central platform. In cut 1 (Fig. 37: 1) we see that the accumulation is a complex admixture of three sedimentary units (suR1, suR2, and suR3 ). The vertical succession of
the layers shows the following chronological order: R1–R2–R1–R3–R1–R3–R1–R3–R1.
This intricate situation and the composition of each unit indicate that the accumulation occurred in a very short lapse of time, almost simultaneously. The units
R2 and R3 originate from the digging of the pit of the platform chamber. The unit
R1 results most probably from a mix of the topsoil layer and yellow silts from su4.
The sub-horizontal but intricate arrangement of the accumulation is also a sign of
artificial deposition, as well as the fact that the R-units abruptly end at the eastern
peripheral wall and cannot be found further eastwards (Fig. 37: cut 2 ).
All observable facts lead us to believe that the monument builders gathered the
massive sediment deposits located within the peripheral wall. This accumulation is
33
38
39
34
40
38
Drawings of stratigraphic cuts 6–8.
Based on records and descriptions by L. Braillard, 2000. See Appendix 1 for detailed
descriptions. Drawings: R. Blumer, 2001.
39
View of cut 2 featuring sedimentary
deposits lying across the collapsed peripheral
wall. Photographs: L. Braillard, 2001.
40
North to south crosscut featuring the
sedimentary and structural situation of B3.
Based on records and descriptions by L. Braillard, 2000. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
41
A hypothetical proposal for a three-
dimensional restitution of monument B3.
The highest part of the peripheral wall, facing south, is about 180 cm high. Drawing:
R. Blumer, 2001.
41
part of a scheme that would have included the intentional fill of these areas and the
covering of the central platform in order to hide it from view. In the following figure, we present a summary of the stratigraphic setting (Fig. 40).
Restitution Proposal
To summarize the structural description, we have created a three-dimensional sketch
restitution of monument B3. We tried to respect the local context and the observed
structural and sedimentary facts (Fig. 41). The peripheral wall was restituted on the
natural slope. Its top surface is rendered flat and horizontal. A hypothetical entrance
gap is featured on its northern side. The central platform and its chamber are featured as hidden under the artificial sediment fill. The top of the platform is about
5 – 10 cm below the artificial surface. The documented postholes are restituted with
their poles, which are supposedly intended to hold prayer flags. Most probably, more
postholes were located around the peripheral wall.
Although the vertical restitution is based on some hypothetical inferences, we
estimate that it will give an overview of the shape the monument once could have
had. Future archaeological work in Bhutan or elsewhere in the Himalayan region will
tell if our restitution is far from other similar monuments.
Archaeological Material
During the excavation of monument B3 in 1999 and 2000, a total of 179 artefacts
were collected and mapped in 122 groups of objects. Some of them have already
been described in detail in our preliminary report for 1999 (Blumer and Vial 1999 :
246 – 248 ). Compared to the first campaign, during which we found only 6 artefacts,
we sampled 116 groups of objects in 2000.
35
42
Horizontal distribution of artefacts of all
excavated surface. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
43
Variation of artefact quantity along two
perpendicular grid axes. Drawing: R. Blumer,
2001.
44
Projected artefact altitudes in grid rows
3–5. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
45
Fragment of supposed plaster paint
applied to the chamber floor. Middle gray
areas are coated with a bright red coloured
pigmentation; clear spots indicate sediment
agglutinations. (a) general view, (b) crosscut (thickness 0.5 mm). Scale: 10 mm. Photographs: L. Braillard, 2001.
42
Artefact Distribution
By having observed the horizontal-level sample scatter map for all of the excavated
areas (Fig. 42) and also the associated table featuring the distribution of artefact
numbers by grid square (Tab. 5), we notice that a vast majority of the artefacts was
found within the chamber fill. A second, much lighter concentration level is located
between the central platform and the peripheral wall, especially to the east and west
of the platform. The number of artefacts found outside the peripheral wall seems
generally very low, but a marked increase is visible in squares M–N / 2 – 5. By plotting
the total artefact number by grid rows and columns, we see that the east-west variation is indeed much greater than the north-south variation (Fig. 43).
The vertical analysis of the distribution of artefacts should be made for two specific areas: ( 1) inside the chamber and ( 2 ) in the remaining excavated areas. We
already described the vertical distribution of artefacts within the chamber fill. In the
areas surrounding the central platform, the distribution was partly disturbed by the
fact that the original mound extent had been cut off during terracing work. It is thus
impossible to state what kind of artefacts could have been found at elevations higher
than the top of the platform.
Our investigation showed a low presence of artefacts near the platform edges,
but none were located in the sediment covering the platform itself. For the area
around the platform, the topmost objects were pottery fragments found between
8 and 14 cm below the top corner of the northwestern platform. Near the south-
western corner, pottery shards were sampled at about mid-height of the side of the
platform. In the southeastern corner of the platform, we found the topmost bits of
pottery at 13 cm above the platform base, i.e. almost 70 cm below the top of the
platform. The fragmented stone bead spotted in 1999 near the northeastern corner
of the platform was located 7 cm above the base of the stone construction. All these
examples show that hardly any artefacts were located at elevations similar to the
surface of the top of the platform – except for 8 pieces – but mostly near the base
of the stone monument. Within the sediment packed between the platform and the
peripheral wall, some scarce bits of pottery were found at mid-platform height and
lower. This indicates that those elements were simply brought to their final location
with the sediment itself; they therefore do not give much insight into any human
activities other than the construction of the monument itself.
36
Artefact number variation along X-axis
Artefact number variation along Y-axis
x-gnd metre
y-gnd metre
43
Artefact altitude (min. / max. average)
44
To illustrate the above observations and inferences, we plotted the projected
altitudes of artefacts (N=102 ) found in the grid rows 3 – 5 running ultimately parallel to the monument’s longest axis and following the natural altitude contour of the
slope (Fig. 44). We kept the minimum, maximum and average altitudes for the graph.
We can clearly see the large altitude variation within the chamber (rows E–G ). The
large variation in row M / 3 – 5 is explained partly by the strong natural slope and partly
by the fact that some artefacts were lying both above and beneath the collapsed
stones of the peripheral wall.
Raw Materials
As we explained earlier, pottery is by far the best-represented raw material ( 96.1 %)
found in and around monument B3. Hard crystalline stone is present with 2 fragments ( 1.1 %), and two small pieces of rusted iron were found ( 1.1 %). In 1999, we
reported the early finding of a recent bronze coin in the superficial soil covering the
monument. A second bronze object was found on the chamber floor.
In many spots near the chamber floor we observed tiny fragments of a very puzzling material. It had the structure of a brightly coloured substance applied to a backing support that was as soft and fragile, when still wet, as badly preserved paper.
Most of the fragments observed were millimetre-sized and sampling was almost
impossible, except for a very limited number of fragments, even though this material was present on the entire surface of the chamber floor. We first thought this
material to be paper with some kind of pigmentation applied to or painted on it.
We immediately realized that this was not the result of a peculiar local and natural
chemical reaction caused by the interface of two particular sediment types. One dried
sample, measuring about 20 5 0.5 mm, was later examined in the laboratory,
and the coloration was indeed bright rose-red. A binocular examination of the
45
37
sample showed that the material is made of four pigment layers, measuring about
0.05 mm each, separated by three layers of very porous silty sediment (similar in
constitution to our deposit su4.1). The crosscut of the sample (Fig. 45) clearly shows
that it is not paper but rather indicates that four full layers of bright red pigment
had most probably been applied directly to the chamber floor. Dr. Philippe Rentzel19
and Michel Guélat, after having studied our sample, drew our attention to a comparative study published by Boivin in 2000. In this study, the author successfully compares ritual floor and wall paint used in houses in rural Rajasthan (India) until this
day, with samples collected from a Neolithic site in Turkey (Boivin 2000 ). The similarity between the coloured plaster samples from India (Boivin 2000 : 382, pl. 3 ) and
our material makes us think that a similar process of ritual floor painting occurred
in the platform chamber of B3 before it was filled.
Metal Objects
Two apparently iron objects were found directly above the chamber floor (in squares
E / 4 and E / 5 ). The distance between the two objects was about 95 cm. Both items
46
are of similar shape and size (approximately 30 10 10 mm). Their shape reveals
a U-crosscut. They are heavily weathered by corrosion and their original size could
only be revealed by X-ray examination. In our opinion, these two artefacts are fragments of a single object, possibly a handle. No drawing or photographs are available for illustration at this stage.
A middle-sized riveted and articulated metal buckle was also found under peculiar circumstances within the chamber floor (Fig. 46). It was towards the end of the
campaign while emptying the accumulated rainwater from the chamber and just
before we filled the chamber for protection, that a worker found this object. At first,
we doubted the finding since the author had excavated down to the chamber floor.
Many facts may explain why the object had remained unnoticed during excavation:
( 1) the chamber floor had a few shallow depressions; ( 2 ) the chamber floor was
unpaved; and ( 3 ) the rainwater had softened the floor sediment. The morphologic
type of the buckle, the raw material it is made from, and the verdigris patina make
it clear that this artefact is historic in age and belongs to the monument. The state
of preservation of the object is very good, with almost no visible trace of corrosion
47
or oxidation. The exact composition of the metal buckle is not yet defined, but it
seems obvious that it is not iron but more likely a brass-based alloy.
The Tibetan bronze coin found in 1998 (Fig. 47) in a superficial layer in the vicinity of the platform B3 turned out to be fairly recent ( 1932 ). Its presence in this spot
is not particularly surprising, since Tibetan coinage was regularly used for trade.
Moreover, a large number of people living in the Choskhor valley are of Tibetan origin. The coin was described in detail in our preliminary report on the 1999 campaign
(Blumer and Vial 1999 : 246 – 247 ). Thus, we will just summarize its main features
here: diameter = 23.5 mm; head side: centred sun and snow lion symbols, four
peripheral inscriptions in Tibetan (meaning “victorious in all directions”); reverse
side: gem symbol and value indicator (“1 Sho”) in centre, five peripheral lotus flower
symbols and five alternate Tibetan inscriptions (meaning that the coin was minted
in the 21st year of the reign of Rab Dshung 16 ). Based on the analysis by Loten
Dahortsang, this coin was produced in the foundry of Gra ‹bshi ‹dngul par khang
in Tibet in 1932.
Stone Artefacts
One preserved stone bead and one fragmented bead were discovered. The first,
19
We would like to sincerely thank
Dr. Philippe Rentzel (Seminar for Pre- and
Protohistory, University of Basel, Switzerland)
found in 1999 in the north-eastern corner of the stone platform, is spherical, about
and Michel Guélat (archaeological survey,
20 mm in diameter, ground and polished from black-brown, slightly transparent,
Historic Heritage Office, Jura district, Switzer-
crystalline rock. Its thin (less than 1 mm) and straight suspension channel was per-
land) for their kind observations and advice.
38
forated from both sides in its central axis. A very small splinter is visible near one
end of the perforation.
The second ground stone item is a bead fragment made from red, transparent,
crystalline rock. It was found in square N / 7, about 100 cm west of the peripheral
wall base. Its outer surface is also finely polished. The fragment does not show traces
of any perforation. The original diameter is similar to the dark bead found in 1999.
Oral informants said that such stone beads have been produced in Bhutan until
48
recently. The precise stone determination is not available and the exact production
centre of such artefacts is yet to be determined.
Pottery Type 1
At least three qualities of pottery ware were determined from the recovered corpus. A first type is a thick, well-burnt, dark brown-reddish ware. It was found in
numerous fragments inside the chamber fill and would have been from a single
large vessel. The breakage surfaces do not present wearing traces; this indicates
that the pot was thrown into the chamber in one single piece. We were able to
reconstitute several large parts of this vessel (Fig. 48), but more time would have
been necessary to reconstruct the piece entirely and to make a detailed drawing
of it. From the reconstituted parts, we can deduce the following morphological
features of the vessel:
49
46
Middle-sized cast and wrought buckle.
Dimensions: 38 26 6 mm. Drawing
from photograph: R. Blumer, 2001.
47
Tibetan bronze coin from the 20th cen-
tury, found in 1998 in the modern soil covering monument B3. Dimensions: 23.5 23.5
1.5 mm. Drawing from photograph:
R. Blumer, 1999.
48
Morphology of pottery type 1. Drawing:
R. Blumer, 2001.
49
Tentative reconstruction of pottery
type-2 pieces. Height varies between
150 and 200 mm. Drawing: R. Blumer, 2001.
— the shape is best described as flat ovoid, with a flared opening and an extended lip;
— diameters (external = 410 mm; internal at opening = 340 – 345 mm) are not constant, indicating that the pot was hand-modelled, possibly with the assistance
of a low-kinetic turning device;
— the vessel profile shows a marked and thick lip, about 34 mm wide and 15 mm thick;
— the maximum thickness is found in the lip; the bottom is, on the contrary, astonishingly thin being less than 10 mm;
— the height of the vessel is about 230 mm;
— distinct remains of carbonisation are visible on the outer surface, which indicates that the vessel was used for cooking purposes;
— the clay has turned brown-reddish in colour caused by oxidization from an
atmosphere of high temperatures;
— the temper added to the clay is made of very fine sand with high feldspathic
content, giving the surface of the ware a glazed and glittery effect.
Pottery Type 2
We recovered a second type of pottery fragment from within the chamber fill, and
some partial reconstructions were achieved during the campaign. Type 2 is morphologically globular with a closed neck and an obliquely extended lip. It is best compared to a classical S-shaped vessel, although the lip is clearly separated from the
neck by a sharp bend. The material used to fabricate this type of vessel seems to
show less firing and weathering qualities than for type-1 pottery, since the inner and
outer surfaces of the fragments are mostly rough. The same adjunction of feldspar
sand is visible in the paste, but crystalline sand was also mixed to the clay. The colour
of this earthenware is light beige-grey to light brown. Type-2 pottery shards only
rarely show external traces of carbonisation.
The main differences between pottery types 1 and 2 lie in the shape, the paste
quality, and the size; type-2 pieces being smaller in diameter and proportionally
higher. Although no type-2 vessel could be reconstituted, we estimate that some of
the pieces could have a diameter of 130 – 160 mm and height of 150 – 200 mm. No
illustration is available for this pottery type except for the following approximate
sketch reconstruction (Fig. 49).
39
At this stage, it is impossible to state the precise number of pieces of type 2
that were present in the chamber fill. However, it is clear that most of the shards of
type 2 were located within the chamber. No link could be made between shards
from the chamber and from the periphery of the central platform. Of the total number of pottery fragments, type-2 shards represent about 50%.
Pottery Type 3
Type-3 shards are similar to type 2 in shape. The main difference lies in the clay and
temper types, being cruder in type 3, and in the colour of the ware, which is dark
brown to dark grey. This pottery type only rarely shows external traces of carbonisation. Type-3 fragments represent about 1/3 of the total number of pottery shards.
Pottery Type 4
Type-4 fragments were mostly found around the platform. They are probably similar to type 2 and 3 in shape and size. The main difference lies in the external surface
finish, which is smoothly glazed and shows a glittery effect due to feldspar having
been blended with the clay. The ware is almost black in colour. About 20 shards of
this type were found in 1999 around the platform (in squares H / 1–2 and H / 6 ).
Pottery Assemblage
We can reduce the number of morphological types of pots to two types: ( 1) large
open vase with a flat and flared rim, and ( 2 ) middle-sized and small ovoid pieces
with an S-shaped profile and an obliquely flared rim.
The number of raw material types is four and should not be reduced until we
gain more knowledge about pottery-making techniques, analytical composition
studies of the paste, and localization of raw material resources.
Origin of Pottery Ware
In Bumthang it is believed that pottery was not produced locally but imported
instead, from specialized centres like the one known in Lhuentse (northeastern
Bhutan). While this assumption is regularly made by local informants, we would
sooner believe that due to the simple fact that pottery-making has at some stage in
recent history disappeared from the Choskhor valley, the lack of technological knowledge has led to a new reasoning about the ware’s origin.
We particularly observed in our findings that the glittering temper added to the
clay to fabricate the pots is almost identical in content to local sediments showing
very high feldspar content. One such sediment occurs about 500 meters to the north
of Batpalathang, on the track leading to the hamlet of Thekarshong.
The lacking technological knowledge of pottery-making nowadays is not sufficient reason to induce the absence of local pottery production in historical times.
The relatively poor quality of the ware found in and around B3 and the fact that its
temper material shows such evident resemblance to easily accessible sediment
deposits, speak for a local, domestic origin of this production.
To illustrate this view, we would like to present observations published in 1996
in the bi-monthly bulletin of the Inter Regional Volunteer Programme for Artisan Support ( IVPAS ) by Choeki Ongmo Dazer, a Bhutanese working for the United Nations
Volunteers ( UNV ) in Bhutan:
“The first artisan craft of Bhutan was pottery. The pots were made of red mud
and sold locally. They were used for cooking as well as storing water. Pottery lost its
popularity when aluminium, brass and steel pots came into the market. Today the
art of making pots has lost its charm in Bhutan. Lhuntshi and Samdrup Jongkhar
districts in the East and Thimpu and Wangdi Phodrang in the West were noted for
pottery. The mud of these regions was suitable for pot-making.
40
The technique implemented is fully manual. The decline can be traced to prevalent social norms. Potters branded as low castes found it difficult to entice apprentices. The enormous competition aluminium pots created compounded this. The
potters had a sudden limit to the scope of their livelihood” (Dazer 1996 ).
These lines indicate the fast replacement of pottery by metal and alloy articles,
a process that must be fairly recent in some areas. It nevertheless focuses on the
ability the potters had to produce quality earthenware that was in use in most households and also traded locally.
Fireplaces and Samples
Besides the numerous charcoal and animal bone samples collected in the chamber
fill, there were also accumulations of charred material in five other areas of the excavation.
In 1999, the first small «fireplace» (FP1) was found in square E / 1, about 80 cm
north of the platform edge. Briefly described in the previous report (Blumer and
Vial 1999 : 244 ), this fireplace measured 45 by 35 cm in surface and was about
10 cm thick. The charred remains were not particularly well preserved and were
agglutinated to the surrounding sediment. There were no signs of any handmade
stove or oven facilities and the sediment underneath didn’t show any signs of heating. The charcoal accumulation could therefore well have been in secondary position and may well represent remains of the clearing of a fireplace located in the
vicinity. The altitude of the charred accumulation is on a level with the platform
base, so that we can consider both as contemporary. Moreover, FP1 was re-covered
by the artificial sediment gathering: the fire is directly linked to the construction
phase of the monument.
The second fireplace, FP2, was documented in 1999 (ibid.: 245 – 246 ) and provided
a good radiocarbon date (ibid.: 248 ). It is located near the top of the chamber fill,
within the superficial stones of squares E / 3 – 4. Seven charcoal samples were retrieved
from FP2. The charred remains were very well preserved in the form of branches and
twigs. The burning action occurred in situ since surrounding and underlying crystalline
stones showed distinct evidence of heating. The size of FP2 is about 50 50 cm and
its depth 5 – 10 cm. Part of the platform’s superficial stones covered the fireplace. This
indicates that the burning event occurred shortly before the end of the platform construction phase and some time before the monument was completed. This sample
provided the best opportunity to date the building of the monument.
In 2000, we uncovered two more individual fireplaces. The first, FP3, was
located near the southwestern platform corner, in square I / 6, and at about midheight of the platform. It consisted of a small mass of charcoal agglutinated to the
surrounding sediment, with a maximum density of 3 cm. The altitudes of the
charred remains indicate that the accumulation of sediment between the platform
and peripheral wall took sufficient time enabling the builders to burn material from
place to place around the platform. Whether this burning is linked directly to construction rituals cannot be stated with absolute certainty, but the absence of specific structural remains around and under the charred remains indicates a rather
short burning process.
Fireplace FP4 was located in squares G / 6 – 7, against the southern platform flank.
It showed a strong southward inclination, its northern end against the platform
being about 30 cm higher than its southern edge in square G / 7. The density of the
charcoal deposit averaged 3 – 4 cm. Roots of the tree which grew in squares G / 5 – 6
protruded through the charred material.
In square I / 1, we discovered three small accumulations of charcoal (FP5 ) that
were superposed and separated by sediment layers of varying thickness. It is supposed that three burning processes took place in this spot during the construction
41
50
51
of the western part of the peripheral wall or shortly afterwards during the sediment
accumulation.
Surprisingly, most of the larger charcoal remains were found in the western/
southwestern half of monument B3 and none in the eastern/northeastern half. The
reason for this pattern remains unclear to date.
Dating Monument B3
Sample 9 from fireplace FP2, collected in 1999 in square E / 3 – 4, provided about 400
grams of charcoal. It was sent to Beta Analytic Inc. in Miami, Florida, for conventional radiocarbon dating. The dating result of this analysis was given the laboratory
code Beta-133584 and the result range was 320 60 years B.P. Calibration to calendar years was delivered by the laboratory:
2-sigma range: 1445 – 1665 calendar years A.D. (probability = 95 %);
1-sigma range: 1480 – 1650 calendar years A.D. (probability = 68 %).
The probability curve of the calibration result (Fig. 50) reveals three probability peaks
(at 1525, 1560, and 1630 A.D. cal.) The dating and calibration results let us assume
that monument B3 was built sometime during the second half of the 16th century A.D.
This date is perfectly acceptable in terms of building technique and archaeological assemblage. Although we also retrieved a great number of charcoal samples
during the 2000 campaign, none of them had a better contextual setting than
sample 9, which was collected in 1999. We felt it was unnecessary to undertake
further expensive dating essays, considering moreover that comparative dated
archaeological structures and materials are momentarily absent in the Bhutanese
historical record. Meanwhile, the subsidiary charcoal samples collected during the
two campaigns have been stored at the project head office in Switzerland and are
available for future analysis.
Function of Monument B3
As we were able to show in the part devoted to the structural description, the excavated and documented remains of B3 present far more complex features than initially expected.
Through the numerous intervention stages accomplished between April 1999
and the end of July 2000, the interpretation of the site evolved gradually. The “flat
stone pavement” initially visible was rapidly supposed either to represent a house
foundation (examples in Fig. 51 and Fig. 52) or to be the base platform of a chörten
42
50
Calibration of radiocarbon dating result
to calendar years A.D.
51
Example of traditional house foundation
wall made of dry-stone masonry in Jakar.
52
Example of boulder pavement around a
traditional house in Jakar.
53
Example of a Tibetan style chörten built
on dry-masonry terraces (Tashigang, Eastern
Bhutan). Photograph: R. Blumer, 2000.
54
Example of a stone platform built to
support five square chörten containing five
giant water-driven prayer wheels (near
Wandichholing palace).
52
53
54
(the Tibetan stupa) (example in Fig. 53). In fact, we observed many other examples
of platforms supporting different kinds of monuments (an example in Fig. 54), so
that the idea of a platform foundation is obvious to infer.
In our preliminary report, while the chamber was still intact, we stated that B3
was for certain a “monument” on its own, but probably not a simple and early form
of chörten, since there are clear indications that the platform was buried under a
massive sediment deposit. The burial grave hypothesis was also rejected conclusively, although one could find some similarities between the platform and burial
monuments of the Mongolian and South Siberian steppes. The frequent presence
of Mongolian troops assisting the Tibetan invaders in the first half of the 17th century
could even bear out this possible link. And the absence of any comparable structure
in Bhutan makes the peculiar shape of the monument even more intriguing.
The significant investigation results we obtained in 2000 add further dimensions
to the interpretation problem. Today, we can be sure that the central platform was
not visible at the end of the construction process although it represents the monument’s core. Rather, it was hidden within and under a much larger ( 16 12 metre)
superstructure made of stones and artificially gathered soil deposits. The large areas
featuring collapse signs, situated on three sides of the peripheral wall, indicate that
the monument underwent a violent and destructive occurrence – most probably a
significant earthquake. This event may have destabilized the upper parts of the
peripheral wall, which to a major extent had collapsed. The perfect preservation of
43
56
55
the central platform itself is largely explained by the fact that it was sealed within
55
the stable sediment mass.
(mon.pa.nag.po) in northern Tibet, discov-
Now that the major construction stages are explained, we are able to visualize
what the monument could have looked like when all its elements were still standing. The discovery of seven postholes – probably representing as many prayer flags
Mountain-top platform grave
ered by American pre-Buddhist scholar John
Bellezza ( 1999 ). Photograph reproduced
from digital web content (Bellezza, 1999 ).
56
Chamber content of an opened moun-
– enhanced the general picture of monument B3 and added both a human and reli-
tain-top platform grave (mon.pa.nag.po) in
gious depth which can be linked directly to today’s deeply anchored Buddhist tra-
northern Tibet, discovered by the American
ditions and beliefs.
pre-Buddhist scholar John Bellezza ( 1999 ).
Although we are sure that monument B3 was erected following distinct architectural traditions and religious beliefs and that it was intended to mark a particular event in history, we have no definite indications about this event. The literary and
architectural records of Bhutan have not yet been able to help us in this interpreta-
Photograph: published with the kind permission of J. Bellezza, 2001.
57
View of an opened chamber in a square
cist-type grave (mon.khang) in Northern
Tibet, discovered by John Bellezza ( 1999 ).
tive process. The only way to go forward is to gather information about stone mon-
Photograph printed with the kind permission
uments built elsewhere in the Himalayan region.
of J. Bellezza, 2001.
Tentative Architectural and Functional Comparison
After returning from Bhutan in July 2000, we came to know about platform-like
stone structures featuring puzzling similarities with the central platform of monument B3 at Batpalathang. The structures are located in northern Tibet, in a region
named Byang-thang. Among 150 archaeological structures that have been mapped
and described, American scholar and explorer John Bellezza documented five structures he named “graves with superstructures built on summits” and about twelve
buried structures he called “cist-type graves, both square and round in form”. He
published examples of them in a World Wide Web site (Bellezza 1999 ).
The “graves with superstructures built on summits” can be described as simple
stone platforms of square shape, mostly built on mountain and ridge tops. Their side
dimensions average 2 – 3 metres and they are built entirely above ground (Fig. 55).
Each platform features a single square chamber (maximum 1 1 metre) that was
sealed with large flat stone slabs. In the structures with no chamber covering, the
chambers seem to be lacking any sedimentary deposit. The open chambers contain
clearly distinguishable human remains (Fig. 56). The observer states that there is a
single body in each individual monument and that the bodies were dismembered.
The “cist-type graves” are said to be found throughout northern Tibet and are
sometimes found in clusters. On the actual surface, they appear as oval or square
shapes, measuring about 3 – 4 metres across and are made of roughly arranged
stones. Some graves were found opened, revealing their chamber. At this point, we
must state that the interior of those Tibetan chambers is built exactly the way our
platform chamber is, with vertical stones at the base, supporting horizontally layered stones (Fig. 57).
44
57
The similarity to monument B3 is not solely confined to the chamber morphology but also confirmed by the fact that the Tibetan graves are not built above ground
level. They were built in such a way that the side of the platform is invisible from
the surface. Unfortunately, no peripheral wall was discovered in Tibet. The peculiar
trapezoidal shape of B3 also seems to be specific to the Bhutanese monument.
Bellezza’s informants attribute both the above ground structures (mon.pa.nag.po)
and the buried graves (mon.khang) to the Mon-pa (or Bon-po) religious belief which
was widespread before the advent of Buddhism in the 7th century A.D. Bellezza himself tends to assign these monumental graves even more precisely to the little known
Zhang Zhung Kingdom. This political unit existed independently, probably in the last
five centuries before the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet. A dynastic succession
of 32 kings is said to have ruled over a very large territory encompassing most of
Western Tibet. Among the other sites eventually attributed to the Zhang Zhung period,
Bellezza documented numerous other architectural remains, including fort ruins,
terraces and walls, megalithic pillars and stelae, rock carvings and paintings, religious structures in caves, sedentary village ruins, etc. With his large-scale surveying
investigations Bellezza made an important contribution to the pre-Buddhist studies.
As we noticed, the Tibetan graves indeed show similarities with monument B3
at Batpalathang, but they are thought to be considerably older than our object, making even indirect linkage difficult. Nevertheless, we would like to underline here that
a relation to the architectural tradition, building type, and landscape integration of
both the Tibetan and Bhutanese monuments couldn’t be fully excluded. To explain
this, we are supported by the fact that the Bön belief and traditions partly survived
the expansion of Buddhism in Bhutan, some Bön elements being integrated in the
newly developing cults. This seems especially true in the valleys of Central Bhutan.
Moreover, the Bön religion went through several revivals in Tibet (at least one of
45
them confirmed, starting in 1017 A.D.). Between the 11th and the 14th centuries A.D.,
the Bon-po had at least four significant study centres in the Tsang province of Tibet.
It is estimated that there were 330 Bon-po monasteries in Tibet by the beginning of
the 20th century. The strong rooting of Bon-po in many Tibetan regions, and the fact
that the same beliefs were once widespread in Central Bhutan, make it appear possible that at some time in the history of the Choskhor valley, links with the Bon-po
communities of Tibet were created. To push the hypothesis another step further, the
possibility of Bon-po leaders of importance staying in the central valleys of Bhutan,
cannot at all be excluded, even in the middle of the 16th century, time at which monument B3 was built at Batpalathang. Neither does the absence of preserved human
remains in the chamber of monument B3 exclude that the monument was built
according to a tradition which originated in the Bon-po context; a cremation could
have taken place instead of disposing of the body, thus joining Bon-po and Buddhist
beliefs and traditions into a single crosscultural ceremony.
Conclusion and Perspective
From the archaeological point of view, the remains unearthed at the Batpalathang
site in 1999 and 2000 by the SLFA team represent a complex monument built of drystone and packed sediment. It measures 16 12 metres, is trapezoidal in shape
and is composed of three main architectural elements: ( 1) a central trapezoid platform (about 4.5 metres in size) concealing an elaborate semi-subterranean chamber (about 2.5 metres in size) filled with offerings, sediment and stones and covered by flat stone slabs; ( 2 ) a large peripheral retaining wall (probably up to 1.5 – 2.0
metres high); ( 3 ) hard-packed sediment deposits gathered to hide the central platform. The chamber walls were built following an elaborate and particular architectural style and the chamber floor was covered by at least four layers of bright red
coats of paint. The chamber contents revealed numerous broken pottery vessels and
a few animal bones, which must have been thrown into the chamber as part of the
rituals that must have been carried out during most of the construction stages. Further ritual indications were found in the form of peripheral offerings (stone beads),
fireplaces of limited extensions (twig fires), and peripheral postholes certainly
intended to bear prayer flags. The monument B3 was built around the middle of
the 16th century A.D. (calendar years). Since then, it has undergone at least one violent destruction phase (probably an earthquake), causing large parts of the peripheral retaining wall to collapse. Moreover, the local population gathered the construction stones emerging from the ruin mound until recently for re-use. But all these
events left the central platform perfectly preserved and untouched until the recent
terracing work of 1998.
From the regional and historical point of view, monument B3 represents a longforgotten past that tells us an incomplete story. It is the story of a close-knit community of people who: shared established and long-lasting religious beliefs; showed
very constructive social behaviour favouring the memory of ancestors and preserving their environment and culture for future generations; and of course who mastered numerous and varied technical skills. Overall, the picture rendered by the
builders of monument B3 is one showing a very strong cultural involvement at local
and regional levels.
Everyone who has had the chance to spend some time among the Bhutanese
people of the Choskhor valley in the recent past could see that most, if not all of
those characteristics are still alive among them. Of course, numerous dynamic
processes, encouraged by the ongoing modernization, are fashioning the society of
central Bhutan. But not unlike in the middle of the 16th century A.D., the presentday people of the Choskhor valley follow their daily subsistence activities, build large
monuments for special occasions, follow their secular religious beliefs, repeat tradi46
tional gestures and finally prepare their country for the near future with the help of
a well-balanced political leadership.
The story of monument B3, which we tried to unravel to the greatest extent
possible, can now enter into the intimate historical record of the community of the
Choskhor valley. For us archaeologists, the story we tried to tell should now help to
enhance the sense of historical continuity among the local community. We hope that
our contribution will be used for this purpose.
Our responsibility was to retrieve as much of the story as possible for future
generations. Ideally, it should be further developed by additional scientific research
and studies, both historical and archaeological. Threats to cultural heritage sites usually appear suddenly, generally much faster than the time needed to acquire the necessary means to meet them with archaeological salvage actions. The Kingdom of
Bhutan has, for the moment, a great opportunity: the pace of its modernization
process has not yet reached the extreme velocity it already shows in Western Europe
and North America. Hopefully, Bhutan will soon set up its own archaeological survey to investigate emerging endangered sites . . . the sooner the better!
References
ARIS, M., 1994, The Raven Crown: The Origins of Buddhist Monarchy in Bhutan. London,
Serindia Publications, 59.
ARMINGTON, S., 1998, Bhutan. Hawthorn (Australia), Lonely Planet Publications, 31.
BELLEZZA, J., 1999, Northern Tibet Exploration: Archaeological Discoveries of the Changthang
Circuit Expedition 1999. WWW site http://www.asianart.com/articles/tibarchaeo/index.htm.
BLUMER, R., and VIAL, F., 1999, Batpalathang, New Archaeological Site near Jakar, Bumthang
District, Bhutan: Preliminary Report for the Investigations of April 1999. Annual Report 1998
of the Swiss-Liechtenstein Foundation for Archaeological Research Abroad. Zurich, Switzerland.
205–253.
BOIVIN, N., 2000, Life’s rhythms and floor sequences: excavating time in rural Rajasthan and
Neolithic Catalhöyük. World Archaeology (31; 3), 367–388.
DAZER, C. O., 1996, Untitled. IVPAS Interface, July 1996 (bi-monthly bulletin of the Inter Regional
Volunteer Programme for Artisan Support IVPAS / UNDP ). WWW site http://www.unv.org/projects/ivpas/bull2.htm.
RNR-RC / Helvetas, 1999, Archaeological Find, followed by: The possible Association of the
Recently Unearthed Structures in Batpalathang with the History of Bhutan. Unpublished report.
Jakar and Thimpu (Bhutan): RNR-RC Jakar/Helvetas Bhutan. 11p.
SCHICKLGRUBER, C., and POMMARET, F., eds., 1997, Bhutan: Festung der Götter. Vienna (Aus-
tria): Museum für Völkerkunde. Exhibition catalogue (Basel, Switzerland), May 28th to Nov. 29th,
1998, 11.
47
Appendix 1
Sedimentary Descriptions of Stratigraphic Cuts
Extensively based on field observations recorded by Luc Braillard.
Cut 1 ( Y–Z / 4 and A–C / 4, Fig. 37: 1)
Unit
Modern debris
Texture:
silt, sandy and slightly clayey.
Interpretation:
modern ( 1998 ).
Unit
R1
Texture:
silt, clayey.
Colour:
brown (humic).
Compaction:
compact.
Inclusions:
– orange hardened silty inclusions ( 1–2 cm) (burnt earth);
– dark brown clayey silt inclusions ( 1–2 cm)
(small lumps of disturbed organic litter).
Limits:
Interpretation:
abrupt ( 0 – 2 cm).
part of the filling of anthropic origin between outer wall and
central platform. This part of the filling comes from the original
topsoil that was present before the construction of B3 started.
It can still be seen in its original position in cut 3 (unit 2.3 ).
Unit
R2
Texture:
silt, clayey.
Colour:
yellow.
Compaction:
strong.
Limits:
Interpretation:
lumps disturbed from Unit 4 mixed with the filling.
Links:
Unit 4, Cut 1.
Unit
R3
Heterogeneous layer made from an intimate
mixture of R1 and R2.
Texture:
silt, clayey.
Colour:
yellowish brown.
Compaction:
strong.
Limits:
Interpretation:
artificial sediment filling.
Unit
4
Texture:
a) upper part (in squares B–C / 4 only): silt, clayey;
b) lower part: silt, with frost polygons.
Colour:
a) yellow;
b) brownish to grayish yellow.
Compaction:
a) strong;
b) very strong.
Inclusions:
charcoal, Fe/Mn precipitations.
Limits:
abrupt ( 0 – 2 cm), erosive upper limit.
Interpretation:
horizon level layer as well as the layer formerly lying above
it was partially dug (Unit 2.3, Cut 3 ), prior to the building
of B3.
Links:
48
R2, Cut 1.
Remarks on the frost polygons in Unit 4 :
A ferric border of orange colour surrounds the polygons measuring 20 cm in average. They consist of mica-silts, brownish to grayish yellow in colour, are very compacted with spots of Fe and Mn. The cracks ( 1–3 cm in width) are filled with a yellow clayey silt and are less compact (same as top part of Unit 4 ).
Cut 2 ( V–Y / 3; Fig. 37: 2 )
Unit
2.1
Texture:
silt, slightly clayey.
Colour:
yellowish brown.
Compaction:
– strong in the upper 20 cm, caused by machinery;
– weak at the bottom.
Inclusions:
– few angular and rounded crystalline pebbles (‹ 5%);
– scarce fragments of charcoal;
– orange hardened silty inclusions ( 1–2 cm) (burnt earth).
Structure:
Interpretation:
lumpy, with high porosity.
humic colluvial sediment, probably rapidly deposited due
to a strong deforestation of the higher slopes. Most
elements were found disrupted in a secondary position.
Links:
Unit 2.1 in Cut 3.
Unit
2.2
Texture:
Colour:
greyish black.
Compaction:
very low.
Inclusions:
– some angular crystalline gravel and stones (flat micaschists) found distributed throughout the slope layer (collapsed and/or eroded elements of the peripheral wall);
– orange hardened silty inclusions ( 1–2 cm) (burnt earth);
– dark brown clayey silt inclusions ( 1–2 cm) (small lumps of
disrupted organic litter);
– scarce presence of preserved vegetal fibres.
Structure:
lumpy.
Limits:
upper limit very distinct to the west, only gradual to the east.
The collapsed stones are contained within this layer, which
implies a contemporary deposit. The lower limit (in square
V / 3 ) is irregularly abrupt, probably bioturbed (no anthropic
digging at this location).
Interpretation:
very humic horizon level with a partially preserved vegetal
fraction. This layer is a definite product from the washing of
the abandoned monument. It would have started to form
once the vegetation had settled on the ruin as well as during
the dismantling (naturally by erosion or by an earthquake during the 17th century? or anthropically by quarrying or volunteer destruction?) of the peripheral wall. This layer lacks 9.5 m
to the east (see Cut 4 ).
Chronological remarks:
The layer is relatively thick compared to its deposition date. If we think that B3 was
built between 1500 and 1600 A.D., vegetation colonization could already have
occurred from 1650 A.D. The layer 2.2 would have been deposited from that moment
and until around 1900 A.D. During the first part of the 20th century, a strong deforestation would have created the conditions for the even thicker 2.1-colluvial deposit.
49
Since approximately 1950, the transition of soil material on the slopes has greatly
been reduced due to reforestation.
Unit
4
Texture:
silt.
Colour:
yellow.
Compaction:
strong.
Limits:
abrupt.
Interpretation:
see Unit 4, Cut 1.
Links:
Unit 4, Cut 1.
Cut 3 ( 13.2 meters north of G / 1; Fig. 37: 3 )
Unit
1
Texture:
silt.
Colour:
dark brown, black.
Inclusions:
numerous roots and preserved vegetal fibres ( 1–2 cm).
Interpretation:
existing organic litter.
Unit
2
Texture:
Colour:
dark brown, humic.
Structure:
loose, lumpy, slight compaction.
Inclusions:
– some angular crystalline gravel;
Limits:
lower limit abruptly erosive.
– orange hardened silty inclusions ( 1–2 cm) (burnt earth).
Interpretation:
slope colluvial deposit, formed by washing during a period
with poor forest cover.
Links:
identical to Unit 2.1, Cut 2.
Unit
4.2.1
Texture:
see Unit 4 (base), Cut 1–2.
Colour:
Compaction:
Limits:
– upper limit abruptly erosive;
– lower limit progressive.
Structure:
presence of superposed vertical cracks interpreted as frost
polygons and presence of clay skins interpreted as Bt horizon
level (illuviation). It is difficult to say which phenomenon is
anterior to the other.
Links:
– similar to Unit 4, Cut 1–2.
Unit
4.2.3
Texture:
clayey silt.
Colour:
light brown.
Compaction:
strong.
Structure:
the polygons are individualized by clay skins and are
4 – 15 cm in size.
Limits:
upper limit gradual.
Interpretation:
Bt horizon level (illuviation).
50
Cut 4 (9.5 meters southeast of W/3; Fig. 37: 4)
Unit
1
Texture:
silt.
Colour:
very dark brown.
Structure:
lumpy, porous.
Inclusions:
numerous roots and preserved vegetal fibres ( 1–2 cm).
Interpretation:
existing organic litter.
Unit
2.1
Description:
Unit
2.3
Texture:
silt, clayey.
Colour:
brown, humic.
Compaction:
moderate.
Inclusions:
– scarce and angular crystalline gravel;
– some small fragments of charcoal.
Limits:
upper limit loose;
lower limit abruptly erosive followed by slight bioturbation.
Structure:
massive.
Interpretation:
ancient humic colluvial deposit, probably much older even
than Unit 2.1.
Links:
Unit R1, Cut 1.
Unit
4
Description:
identical to Unit 4, Cut 1–2.
Cut 5 (V/3–8; Fig. 37: 5)
Unit
Modern Debris
Texture:
heterogeneous mixture.
Colour:
variable.
Inclusions:
variable.
Interpretation:
modern debris accumulated during terracing work in 1998.
Unit
1
Description:
identical to Unit 1, Cut 4.
Unit
2.1
Description:
Unit
2.2
Description:
Limits:
upper limit gradual to the northeast and abrupt to the southwest. As with this feature, the fine organic matter increases
towards the southwest as well as the colour, which darkens.
Unit
4
Description:
identical to Unit 4, Cut 1–2.
51
Cut 6 (Z/6–10; Fig. 38: 6)
Unit
1
Description:
Unit
R1
Description:
identical to Unit R1, Cut 1.
Unit
R3
Description:
Cut 7 (J-K/4–8; Fig. 38: 7)
Unit
1
Description:
Unit
R1
Description:
Unit
R3
Description:
Cut 8 (J-N/0; Fig. 38: 8)
Unit
2.1
Description:
Unit
2.2
Description:
Unit
R2
Description:
yellow silts reprocessed from Unit 4, with inclusion of
some structural stones (construction layer?).
Unit
4
Description:
Samples collected in stratigraphic cuts20
Sedimentary samples (generally about 100 grams each)
S1:
Unit R1, Cut 1.
S2 :
Unit R2, Cut 1.
S3 :
Unit 4 (top), Cut 1.
S4 :
Unit 4 (base), Cut 1.
S5 :
dark brown inclusions in Unit R1, Cut 1.
S6 :
Unit 2.1, Cut 2.
S7 :
Unit 2.2, Cut 2.
Charcoal samples (for AMS 14-C dating)
EAC1:
Unit R3, Cut 1.
EAC2 :
Unit R3, Cut 1.
EAC3 :
Unit 4 (base), Cut 1.
EAC4 :
Unit 2.1, Cut 2.
EAC5 :
Unit 2.2, Cut 2.
20
Precise location of samples within
the cuts can be obtained directly from the
authors (contact list available at
http://www.bhutan1999-2000.tripod.com).
52
Appendix 2
Chronology of the Conflicting Situation and Solutions to Avoid Destruction
Fall 1998
Discovery of archaeological structure B1 (underground dome-shaped construction)
by RNR-RC while digging first foundation trench for Administration building. Top
cover stone incidentally removed by mechanical shovel. Further dismantling of roof
stones and emptying of fill sediment by RNR-RC for exploration purposes. Collection
of charcoal and artefacts for further archaeological analysis.
Discovery of stone platform B3 by RNR-RC while mechanically terracing soil. Incidental removal of some superficial structural stones. Manual clearing of superficial
sediment and delineation of the structure surface by RNR-RC. Some stones were
slightly disturbed for exploration purposes.
Due to both accidental findings, the site architect concludes that further structural remains might be hidden within the RNR-RC compound yard. His explorations
lead to the discovery of wall remains B2 in the vicinity of underground structure B1.
He further recognizes a peripheral mound (B4 ) to be an artificial one, but this feature is not directly located within the compound yard.
RNR-RC Jakar decides to shift two buildings eastwards (Administration and Pro-
fessional) to avoid destruction of underground structure B1.
Winter 1999
Minister of Agriculture requests Helvetas to organize an archaeological on-site expert
for the assessment of the possible historicity of the findings.
Compilation of an internal report by RNR-RC / Helvetas ( 1999 ) containing descriptions of the remains, photographs, a sketch, and the possible historical implication
the structure may have. The report is to be transmitted to the central office of Helvetas in Zurich.
February 1999
The Helvetas Office in Zurich contacts the SLFA Secretary General in Zurich to ask for
possible field intervention by an archaeological expert. SLFA decides to send an
archaeologist and the intervention is planned to start in March or early April 1999.
The mandatory intervention duration is set at four weeks.
April 1999
The investigation campaign 1999 is led by SLFA archaeologist R. Blumer. A representative of the Special Commission for Cultural Affairs of the Royal Government
of Bhutan participates in the investigation work. A volunteer assistant from Switzerland and local fieldworkers supplement the team. On-site investigation lasts for three
weeks.
At the end of the campaign, the author presents a debriefing report to the Minister of Agriculture, Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji, in Thimpu. Representatives of various governmental and non-governmental offices ( SCCA, REID, Helvetas, etc.) attend the
debriefing.
Regarding monument B3, it is decided that a slight shift ( 2 – 3 meters) of the newly
planned building should be considered if the historicity of the monument is confirmed
by the archaeological analysis. This shift would enable preservation of the structure.
November 1999
SLFA archaeologist R. Blumer hands in his report on the investigation in 1999 to the
offices concerned in Bhutan and Switzerland. A slightly modified form of the report
is published later in the SLFA Annual Report for 1998.
53
1
Early 2000
The DRDS office (formerly REID ) of the Ministry of Agriculture enquires about possibilities to remove the archaeological monument B3 to avoid further delay in the
construction of the RNR-RC compound. One archaeological solution is proposed by
the SLFA : the monument could be fully excavated and documented on during a second and last archaeological campaign in the same year. Once this documentation is
gathered, it would be feasible to relocate or to dismantle the monument, depending on the decision by the governmental authority concerned.
In coordination with RNR-RC Jakar, Ministry of Agriculture, National Commission for Cultural Affairs, and Helvetas Zurich and Thimpu, the SLFA decides to supply the main financial resources for setting up a second and probably last excavation campaign at Batpalathang.
April – July 2000
The excavation campaign 2000 is led by SLFA archaeologist R. Blumer, and supplemented by a geologist, a biologist, an ethnologist, a representative of the NCCA,
and up to ten local fieldworkers.
At the start of the campaign, the representative of the NCCA made it clear that
the monument should not be dismantled completely but preferably documented on
for later preservation.
The archaeological team, which was especially focusing on monument B3, soon
realizes that the monument B3 is much larger and more complex than initially
expected. Although the monument has been extensively explored and documented
on, the information gathered cannot guarantee a detailed reconstruction of all
superstructures in the event of an uncontrolled dismantling act.
After seven weeks of archaeological work, RNR-RC Jakar asks the author to produce an immediate statement on the historical and architectural importance of the
monument. A 4-page statement with additional illustrations (Appendix 2, Fig. 1) is
delivered on time on May 30th, 2000, to RNR-RC Jakar, to various authorities in
Bhutan, and to the SLFA in Switzerland.
The archaeological investigations clearly show that monument B3 is worth preserving if at all possible. The Bhutanese proponents also give support to this opinion in various parts of the Kingdom. The conflicting situation has to be settled
between the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Commission for Cultural Affairs
since the issue is a matter of national heritage. The construction work has therefore
to be delayed until such a decision is made.
Near the end of the campaign, a new solution allowing preservation is developed between RNR-RC, a representative of NCCA, and the author. The solution sug54
2
gests a partial re-designing of the RNR-RC master plan, including a shift of almost 8
metres eastwards of the Laboratory building, in order to integrate the monument B3
(Appendix 2, Fig. 2); the new scheme seems to be acceptable to all parties concerned.
Modalities of the integration of the monument into the compound are still to be
developed.
August 2000 to Mai 2001
The detailed documentation carried out by the author in 1999 and 2000 was performed as part-time activity with no additional laboratory assistance. Financial support of this work was granted by the SLFA from August to November 2000. From
December 2000 to May 2001, the author’s work was gratuitous.
During the time the work on the extensive documentation was being carried
out, attempts at communication with the NCCA in Thimpu failed. Furthermore, it is
necessary to mention that the author didn’t receive any information from any of the
authorities or organizations concerned about the resolution of the conflicting situation at the Batpalathang site.
May 2001
The first part of the final report is distributed to the authorities concerned in Bhutan
and to the SLFA in Switzerland. Response from the NCCA in Thimpu and from
RNR-RC in Jakar is still pending.
Appendix 3
Proposals for Conservation of Monument B3
Based on the last solution to permit the preservation of Monument B3 within the
RNR-RC compound at Batpalathang, the author proposed a tentative plan to preserve and present the archaeological site to future visitors.
The concept includes the following goals:
— It integrates the monument within the courtyard with location just in front of
the building housing the laboratories.
— The monument is presented to the visitors didactically with an explanation panel.
— Two aspects of the monument can be viewed: ( 1) one half of the monument
(eastern or western, depending on architectural constraints) is reconstructed as
it could have presented itself historically. This part is directly accessible to the
public. ( 2 ) The other half is consolidated to show the state of preservation at
the time of excavation. This part is not directly accessible but clearly observable
from the periphery.
55
— The project should be feasible and run at low cost, using local workmanship
and eventually local volunteer-work.
In practice, the project would include the consolidation of the superstructures made
of dry masonry (cementing). The central chamber should be shown without its fill
and cover, which would necessitate proper drainage of rainwater in a southerly
direction (two drain tubes running under the southern platform wall). The accessible reconstructed half would consist mainly of a peripheral wall circumscribing a
grass surface ending at a light steel and wire fence from where the public would
have a perfect view of the platform and its empty chamber. The grass area would
be accessible through a small gate located north. The main explanation panel would
be set up within the grass surface area.
The implementation of such a preservation and presentation project still
depends on a series of factors including ( 1) financing, ( 2 ) coordination with and
approval by the National Commission for Cultural Affairs, ( 3 ) cooperation by
RNR-RC Jakar. The author remains at the disposal of all agencies and organizations
concerned for the further development of the integration project.
56

3.7 blumer.xp

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