Western City Place Names In The Ancient Dunghuang Texts

In the seventh century,the Tubuo Kingdom gradually become the rulers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as they as they expanded their borders in all all directions.At this time,the Tubuo Kingdom underwent unprecedented development in the spheres of government,military,economics,and culture;the diplomatic exchanges with neighboring kingdoms also served as a positive force in their development.From the middle of the seventh century until the eighth century,the Tubuo kingdom started to come into contact with the Western Region;settlers from the Tubuo kingdom also began to settle in the Western Region.During this time,the Western Region was the meeting point of many different peoples and cultures.Because of these extensive interactions,many place names,which carried rich cultural meaning,were written down in Tibetan historical records’ from that time.This paper will explore and analyze the Western Region place names as found recorded in the Dunhuang text P.t.1283-2 "The Annals of the King of Northern Ruogan."This paper is made up of four chapters.The first chapter examines the diplomatic strategy employed by the Tubuo’s as they interacted with other ethnic groups in the Western Region.Starting at the beginning of the seventh century and continuing on to the collapse of the Tubuo Empire,the Tubuo’s built close connections with the peoples of the Western Region on the foundation of military alliances,intermarriage,religious exchanges,and trade.The second chapter starts with an introduction to the reliability and importance of P.t.1283-2 "The Annals of the King of Northern Ruogan." Using ancient Chinese,Tibetan,and Central Asia historical records,as well as current research from around the globe,as a research foundation,this chapter continues by exploring the location of ke,dad.pyi,mug.lig,bug.cor,pa.ker.pa.lig,hor(all locations mentioned in P.t.1283-2 "The Annals of the King of Northern Ruogan")and the relationship these locations had with the Tubuo Kingdom.Chapter three focuses on analyzing the location,etymology,and relationship with the Tubuo Kingdom of the following places in the Western Region as they were recorded in P.t.]283-2 "The Annals of the King of Northern Ruogan." dru.gu,gar.log,ba.smel,go.kog,and du.rgyus.Chapter four examines places in the Western Region that are commonly found in Tibetan literature and ancient historical records.The place names which are examined include places in the Northwest,including gu zan,sog dag,shu lig,ban jag nag po,and locations closer to the Tubuo Kingdom including li yul,shing shan,nob chung,jer jan,and lang ri.This chapter seeks to explain the origin of these name and the physical location of the places these names represent.Modern methods are used to analyze the bamboo records,scrolls,and archeological material which refer to these places.