Study of amber in Qidan culture and art

Based on amber artifacts from excavated sites as well as museums and private collections, this thesis focuses on the art of amber in the Liao Dynasty, and though comparing with the use of amber in ancient Europe and other periods in China to reveal the significance of amber in the Liao Dynasty founded by the Qidan, a semi-nomadic people who lived in China's northeast. Through the comparative study of materials, techniques, usage, decorative themes, cultural and artistic meanings, this thesis concludes that: (1) amber artifacts in China flourished during the Liao Dynasty (907--1125A.D.), although there is no textual evidence on record; (2) amber artifacts from Liao tombs and Buddhist pagodas are comparable to other material arts in terms of quality, quantity and artistry; (3) the Qidans, founders of the Liao dynasty, used amber widely as personal ornaments, religious items, and funeral objects; (4) like jade, gold and silver, amber was a symbol of rank and power; it was also used by the Qidan elite to emphasize their ethnic identity. This phenomenon is unique and unprecedented in Chinese history; nothing like it came before or after. Qidan amber has greater political and cultural meaning than jade, gold and silver; (5) Baltic amber is the likely source of Qidan amber, finding its way from Baltic to Qidan territory through "the fur route" across Southern Siberian and "the silk route" across Central Asia, with Uyghur merchants playing important roles as intermediaries.