Using archaeological, anthropological and philological methodologies, Zhang Zhung presents the formative elements in the development of civilization in Upper Tibet, the vast upland north and west of Lhasa. Part I of this major work provides a comprehensive examination of the monumental and aesthetic traces of the Metal Age and early historic period in Upper Tibet. Based on a field survey project of twelve years duration, the morphological, constructional, mythological and cross-cultural traits of the region's visible archaeological wealth are described in detail, laying the groundwork for the meticulous textual analysis that follows. In Part II of the book, annotated translations of numerous excerpts from Bon and Buddhist texts present the traditional view of Tibet's ancient past. These indigenous literary accounts of the early cultural, religious and political complex of the Plateau are in turn systematically compared to the archaeological record, revealing critical points of agreement. Zhang Zhung has pioneered the application of empirical evidence to gauge the historicity and significance of Tibetan Bon sources. Part III is devoted to the study of the archaic funerary heritage of Tibet, which proves to be highly useful with regard to analyzing the cultural evolution of the Plateau. New perspectives on the identity and contributions of the Tibetan ethnos are obtained by subjecting Dunhuang and Bon textual materials to rigorous archaeological and ethnographic interpretation. Considerable effort has been devoted to analyzing Tibetan funerary literature and to discerning its links to northern Inner Asian mythology and burial practices of the first millennium BCE and the first three-quarters of the first millennium CE. Critically edited transliterations of the Tibetan works, tables of all the surveyed archaeological sites, bibliographies and extensive indexes complement the main text. 842p, col illus. (Austrian Academy of Sciences 2008)

Foreword. 1
Acknowledgements. 3
A general introduction. 5
PART I: THE ARCHAIC CULTURAL HORIZON SITES OF UPPER TIBET
Section 1: An Introduction to the Author’s Archaeological Exploration of Upper Tibet and Survey Methodology. 15
Section 2: Criteria Used in the Determination of Archaic Sites. 20
Section 3: The Chronology of Archaic Sites. 26
Section 4: A Typological Outline of Archaic Monuments and Rock Art. 28
Section 5: A Geographic, Morphological and Cross-cultural Analysis of Archaic Residential Monuments in Upper Tibet. 30
Section 6: A Geographic, Morphological and Cross-cultural Analysis of Archaic Ceremonial Monuments in Upper Tibet. 69
Section 7: A Typological and Geographic Analysis of Archaic Agricultural Structures in Upper Tibet. 149
Section 8: Earthworks in Upper Tibet. 157
Section 9: Rock Art in Upper Tibet. 159
PART II: THE ARCHAIC CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL TRADITIONS OF TIBET AND ZHANG-ZHUNG
Section 1: The Application of Bon Literature to the Study of the Upper Tibetan Archaic Cultural Horizon. 201
Section 2: The Bon Masters and Ritual Objects of Ancient Tibet and Zhang-zhung. 206
Section 3: The Elite Cultural Traditions of Zhang-zhung. 245
Section 4: The Elite Cultural Traditions of Ancient Tibet. 270
Section 5: The Archaic Architectural Traditions of Tibet and Zhang-zhung. 288
Section 6: The Pantheon of Zhang-zhung. 300
PART III: THE ARCHAIC FUNERARY TRADITIONS OF TIBET AND ZHANG-ZHUNG
Section 1: Tibetan Archaic Funerary Traditions in the Light of Archaeological Research. 357
Section 2: A Bird’s Eye View of Tibetan Funerary Traditions. 361
Section 3: A General Introduction to the Mu-cho'i Khrom-'dur. 367
Section 4: The Legendary Origins of the Mu-cho’i Khrom-’dur. 373
Section 5: The Sequence of Philosophical and Ritual Structures in the Mu-cho’i Khrom-’dur. 389
Section 6: An Examination of the Archaic Eschatological and Ritual Pillars of the Mu-cho’i Khrom-’dur. 412
Section 7: The Archaic Funerary Traditions of the Klu ’bum nag po. 480
Section 8: The Archaic Funerary Traditions of the Dunhuang Manuscripts. 496
Section 9: Associative Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials. 543
CONCLUSION. 569
TIBETAN TEXTS
Section 1: Transliterations of Texts from Part II. 579
Section 2: Transliterations of Texts from Part III. 610
TABLES. 651
MAPS. 688
BIBLIOGRAPHY. 747
INDEXES. 781
LIST OF FIGURES. 833