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Chapter 07
Ancient Tibet - History and Culture
ICE SHEET
The First Modern People From ancestors that have been traced back 3.75 million years, modern humans first emerged 40,000 years ago, spreading rapidly and widely across Europe and Asia. Evidence based on genetic mapping suggests that modern humans might have first arisen west of Tibet and north of India, Early modern humans lived in the Tsaidam basin on the north edge of the plateau as early as 33,000 B.C. The connection between this population and later inhabitants is not yet clear.
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40,000 years ago
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27/000 years ago
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Little kingdoms As the power of the nonhumans declined, the original tribes took control of the land, though systematic histories never describe any specific events in this process. In various chronicles scattered remarks can be found about struggles among the Ma-sangs, nonhumans, and certain tribes in ancient times. It would be interesting to assemble and compare such references. Eventually twelve, twenty-five, and then forty small kingdoms arose, about which we have very little information except for some of the names of rulers and regions. Lists from Tun-huang and other old records include such places as mСhims-yul, Zhang-Zhung, Myang-ro, gNubsyul, Myang-ro-sham-bong, skyi-ro/Gyi-ri, Ngas-po/Ngam-shod, 'O-yul/'Ol-phu, Sribs-yul/ Srin-yul, Kong-yul, Myang-yul/Nyang-yul, Dwags-yul, dBye-ro/gYe-na, Klum-ro, Sum-yul, 'Brog-mo, and rNgegs/rNgegs-yul Se-mo. Tibetan histories describe how during the centuries before the first king, power was divided among these many factions. One group or another was dominant for a while, only to decline or be overthrown. In this era of fragmentation, according to the bKa'-thang-sde-Inga, time and again Tibet was threatened on all sides by powerful neighbors, while within its borders there was no regard for moral behavior. Though laws existed to punish wrongdoing, people lacked concern for society as a whole, and were driven by personal greed for territory and property. No ruler possessed enough strength or respect to unite the little kingdoms and protect the land. At the mercy of confusion and poverty, the population could not progress beyond the level of bare survival. Four Great Cultures At some point in time, the tribes were connected with four great cultures: bSe with 'A-zha, dMu with Zhang-Zhung, sTong with Sum-pa, and iDong with Mi-nyag. These cultures may have been founded by people with ancestry different from the Tibetans, becoming associated with the tribes at a later date. Or they may have been established by the Tibetan tribes, who over time developed distinctive cultures in different regions.
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Ancient Tibet
