During phase3, the scientific efforts of the MAFIL have focused on:
With fieldwork in India still suspended for 2021, the interim mission management team on the French side has decided to continue devoting its scientific efforts to the Himalayan Rock Art Project and the associated handbook for rock art recording. As well as proposing a methodology, this handbook aims to give an account of the controlled vocabulary used for the database in the form of an illustrated thesaurus.
The year 2022 marks a return to normality in the mission’s activities. Laurianne Bruneau took over as co-director on the French side and the scientific cooperation agreement between EPHE and the Centre of Central Asian Studies at the University of Kashmir (Srinagar) was renewed for a period of 5 years (2022-2027).
The year 2022 was also marked by a new field campaign. In connection with the Himalayan Rock Art Project, a first visit took place in the Spiti valley at the invitation of the Rock Art and Historical Society of Spiti (RAHSS). A visit was also made to Lahaul at the invitation of an independent researcher from the region. These field visits enabled us to assess the importance of the rock art heritage of these regions bordering Ladakh, as well as its content and distribution.
