In October this year, at the Taihe Forum held by the Palace Museum, Professor Zhang Liangren, who is engaged in overseas archaeology, forwarded to me the newly published collection of books and essays, "East Learning and West Questions" (China Social Sciences Press, 2021), because the book contained some archaeological history contents such as Iran and Afghanistan, which triggered me to think about some of the history of Silk Road archaeology.
(Professor Zhang Liangren's new book "East Learning West Question")
1. The elderly and bookstores
In recent years, the world archaeology and overseas Silk Road surveys are in the ascendant, and Teacher Zhang Liangren, as a pioneer, has created field archaeological excavation sites in Russia and Iran, and has organized several overseas surveys to give more scholars the opportunity to understand the world archaeological art in depth. In addition to investigating sites and visiting scientific research institutions, the most important part of overseas investigation is to buy books and materials, because each country has its own scientific research system and publishing plan. Among these huge basic materials, very few can be introduced to the international community. In Iran, we also pay attention to the acquisition of books at any time, and in Tehran's used bookstore street we have met a bookstore old man, the same encounters intersect in different time and space, but also left some memorable small stories for overseas investigation life.
At the beginning of 2020, we ended the survey of Sassanid archaeological sites around Iran, handled follow-up exhibition cooperation in Tehran, and used our leisure time to collect books according to the clues provided by previous scholars. On the street of the used bookstore near the University of Tehran, there was an old man with leg problems who spoke fluently in English and Japanese to communicate with us, and in the process of bargaining, we learned that the old man's name was Moshen, who had also worked on cultural heritage and knew very well about archaeological art. Seeing that we were all guests from afar and also engaged in professional research, especially when Mawson knew that I was studying Middle East Asia and Afghanistan, he was very excited and immediately showed me the precious photographs of Yamauchi and Yashi in his wallet. I thought it was a marketing ploy for the elderly—they often took out some photos of archaeologists to recommend their books, but when I saw a batch of books containing reading notes made by Mr. Yamauchi, I was surprised and curious. It turned out that When Mawson was a young man, he was a guide for the Japanese archaeological team and assisted scholars in field excavations, so he was also a fellow traveler, and we suddenly had a good feeling. Later, several of our teachers bought his hundreds of kilograms of books, covering almost all the Iranian archaeological works of the last century, basically very precious and scarce archaeological art history monographs, after buying the books, sitting and chatting, found that Mawson was familiar with all the archaeological investigations and sites, and could answer almost all our questions.
(Mawson stands in front of his small bookstore in Tehran in February 2020.)
It was late, the shops on this street were closing, and the old man had to go home, so he didn't have time to inquire carefully. The small bookstore managed by the elderly Mawson also has a non-governmental organization similar to the bookstore industry association, and most of the people who manage these bookstores on this street are some retired elderly people, who take care of each other, sell books to each other, and make money together. Because we bought a lot of books at a very low price, I was embarrassed to buy his bookstore. In order to thank the elderly Mawson and ask him some Iranian archaeology questions, we agreed to visit his house the next day.
When I was studying the Silk Roads as a student, I was remembered by several foreign teachers who helped me, and one of them was the most special one, Mr. Yamauchi, who often gave me books and materials. After graduating from Waseda University, Mr. Yamauchi went to the University of Tehran in 1989 to teach Japanese, and then spent more than ten years in Iran, accumulating rich experience in archaeological research in his spare time. After that, Yamauchi turned to Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and other countries, mainly for the archaeology of religious sites, and ran through the entire Silk Road research. In the past, I heard that during his work in Central Asia, Mr. Yamauchi had made many Iranian friends and was fluent in Persian. So what is the relationship between this old man and Teacher Yamauchi?
2. The vicissitudes of Tehran
The next day, it was cloudy in Tehran. It was snowing higher in the northern part of the city," while it was raining in the southern "slums," where Mawson's home was in the south. The combination of rain and snow has also deepened my understanding of the city, which is the contrast of the urban climate and also like our mood. These days the global pandemic has begun to rage, flights have begun to blowdown, and we must always think about the return journey.
Bypassing a few old neighborhoods, we knocked on Mr. Mawson's house, a residential building from the 1970s. Mawson was very excited to see me on time, and hurriedly invited me to the house, and there was a relative in the house who had been specially called, who was also waiting for us to chat together at home. Mawson ran around barefoot and prepared black tea. The relative also worked for the archaeological team, mainly as a driver of logistics, and they all spoke fluent Japanese, French and English. After the chat, I learned that Mr. Yamauchi was Mawson's brother-in-law, and it was only then that I understood why Mawson had left a wealth of books here and why Mawson carried a photo of Mr. Yamauchi with him. At Mawson's house, in addition to going through the data file, I saw another image of Mawson's life.
(Mawson recounts old Iranian newspapers with news of his early arrests)
(Photo of his youth in The Old Man's Home of Mawson)
Now Mawson is slightly hunched over, walking a little shaky, and his spirit has become a little trance, slightly withered. Only when it comes to archaeological art, will I concentrate, think about the answer with a plank and an eye, and reminisce with the relative. I looked at the oil paintings hanging in Mawson's home, and learned that Mawson came from a family family, loved literature and art when he was a teenager and was admitted to the Tehran Art Academy, initially loved Western painting and ancient Iranian art, was rewarded by King Pahlavi, and often went out on expeditions, but the young mawson was captured and imprisoned by the Iranian authorities because he participated in the revolutionary organization of radical students and wanted to do his best for social reform. Because he was a revolutionary representative of the left-wing students, the arrest was also reported in the newspapers. In prison, Mawson refused to leak secrets and betray his teammates' information, was abused, maimed one leg, and was held in prison indefinitely. In 1979, after the sudden change of the situation and the outbreak of the Iranian Revolution, the collapse of the government, the social situation was turbulent, and Tehran was also in chaos, And Mawson took advantage of the chaos to escape from prison and regain his freedom. But by this time Mawson's life had been ruined, and the family had been torn apart by his arrest.
Mawson did not give up on himself, changed his identity and false name, and began a new life - it turned out that Mawson was not his real name. Listening to this story feels like a movie, and when Mawson pulls out the old newspaper and points to the old photos for me to identify, it really feels real.
Moson, who reintegrated into society, began to work as a travel agency, relying on his cultural literacy and talent to do cultural heritage tours, and contacted foreign institutions as archaeological guides to serve archaeologists. Although Mawson had some disabilities on his legs and feet, it did not affect his field operations, and Mawson was better at investigating archaeological sites in mountainous areas. His special experience and artistic passion quickly became the leader of Iran's popularity in the minds of foreigners, receiving many thank-you letters every year, and scholars would send him books. Mawson kept these thank-you notes, put them together with archaeological reports, and piled them on the bedside, which became his new honor. I also said that when we published a book, we would send it to him as a souvenir.
During those years when Iran's political situation was not calm, the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War and the harsh reality made archaeologists feel the pressure of a new round of civilization destruction. Scholars swim against the current, devoting almost all of their time to fieldwork.
In the late 1970s, the study of Iranian archaeology in Japanese academic circles experienced a turning point, and after the early withdrawal of the archaeological team of the University of Tokyo, the new scientific research force could not keep up and was in a stage of stagnation. (Generally for the convenience of research, with archaeologists as the leader, the activities of the University of Tokyo's Iran-Iraq Investigation Mission were divided into three phases: the first phase of the head of the Ebami Poko Commander 1956-1965; the second phase of the head of Theo Fukai 1976-1978; the third phase of the toshio Matsutani regiment leader 1987~1996.) Kazuya Yamauchi vowed to sacrifice his life for the risk, so in early 1980 he exchanged as a Japanese teacher to teach at the University of Tehran and bide his time. With the help of Mawson, Yamauchi's teacher, such as fishing in the water, also learned the local Persian language and other languages, and began to investigate in various regions.
Despite the significance of what was done, scholars were limited in their power, and with the support of the Japanese Embassy and major art museums, Yamauchi Kazuya's archaeological investigation of Iran continued until 1996, following the archaeological team of the University of Tokyo, which once again opened up the research situation. On the other hand, these endless survey operations and archaeological undertakings also improved Mawson's material and spiritual life. Mawson picked up his paintbrush again, painted oil paintings, miniature paintings, depicted a new life, and published his own poetry collections and paintings.
Subsequently, with the archaeological background and linguistic advantages of West Asia, Yamauchi also led a Japanese archaeological team into Bamiyan, Afghanistan, and continued to work from 2003 to 2012 under the coordination of UNESCO, with the help of locals to obtain a batch of the latest archaeological materials and discoveries, and published reports in Japanese, English and Persian languages, so that more locals could understand these latest studies. In 2015, Mr. Yamauchi led a team into Kyrgyzstan to excavate the religious monasteries of Ak Beshim, and found the palace ruins of the Tang Dynasty for the first time. These keen archaeological senses and achievements come from the foundations they laid in Iran, because the working methods and archaeological surveys on the Silk Road are methodologically common, and with the help of local professionals, they often do more with less.
3. The road to destiny from Iran to Afghanistan
On June 26, 2018, Professors Lothar.V.F and Zhang Liangren organized by Peking University made a report on the history of Chinese archaeology and overseas Iranian archaeology, and discussed the growth history of Asian archaeology. During his doctoral studies at UCLA University in the United States, Zhang Liangren was guided by Professor Luo Tai and others to begin to study Chinese lacquerware excavated from the Begram site in Afghanistan, as well as to pay attention to the blank spots in Russian, steppe civilization, and Iranian archaeology. After returning to China, he has been striving to open up overseas archaeological undertakings, cooperating with foreign archaeological institutions to carry out field archaeological excavations in Khorasan Province, Iran, and the Altai region of Russia. In this report, he mentioned the archaeological experiences of Roman Ghirshman (1895-1979), Godard (1881-1965) and other pioneers of Iranian archaeology from Iran to Afghanistan, as well as their contributions to the exploration of ancient civilizations along the ancient Silk Road, which is also consistent with the attention of later Yamauchi teachers.
In the 1920s, the French archaeological survey of Afghanistan was in full swing, but due to the lack of selected personnel and few results, the archaeological survey of Afghanistan at that time was stalled. At this time, the French government adjusted its policy and sent a group of archaeologists with field experience in Iran and the Two Rivers Valley, Godard and Gresman, to Afghanistan to assist, and these two archaeologists also participated in laying the foundation for Iran's modern archaeological system. With a background in architecture, Godard began working as an advisor to Iranian archaeologists in 1927, formulating new policies for archaeological excavations and designing the Archaeological Museum of Tehran. Gresmann was a Russian-French archaeologist who began working as head of the Iranian survey mission sent by the Louvre Museum in 1931 to conduct archaeological research for a long time. Godard helped investigate the Buddhist grotto architecture of Bamiyan and formulated the guidelines for the investigation of monasteries during the Buddhist period. Gressmann enriched the excavation theme in the field of Afghan archaeology, and many Neolithic archaeology and urban archaeology were also considered to enter the scholar's field of vision, rather than being limited to a single Buddhist content archaeology.
(The Japanese archaeological team mainly surveyed the Taq-i Bustan Grottoes, a Sassanid dynasty site on the outskirts of Kermanshah Province.)
(Mawson and this writer hold the Bamiyan conference manual hosted by Yamauchi teacher at their home in Tehran)
After the outbreak of World War II, Afghanistan declared neutrality, France quickly fell, and Iran was taken over by britain. At that time, French scholars were carrying out the fifth excavation at the beheram site, and the excavated artifacts of beglam were successively stored in Kabul, the British embassy in Peshawar, and the French Gemmay Museum, but there has been a lack of systematic research since then. After World War II, Gresmann succeeded DAFA as Director of Field Archaeology in Afghanistan, and in 1941 Gresmann continued to excavate in Beglam, introducing archaeological stratigraphy concepts to the Beglam site for the first time, scientifically excavating the site. Later, in 1943, Gresman investigated the graves of the White Huns in the Panjshir River Valley, which was the first to confirm the tombs of this mysterious nomadic people who lived in an indefinite state, leaving valuable research. Although the "treasure" was not found again, the typology of the region was established, which contributed to the reference of future generations. Gressmann left Afghanistan at the end of 1943 and has been doing archaeological work in Iran for many years, and in 1945 he became the director of French archaeology in Iran, making many contributions to the construction of archaeology in Iran. Both scholars dedicated their lives to The Archaeology of Western Asia, setting an example for later scholars. Professor Zhang Liangren's shift from studying Chinese Xia Shang Zhou archaeology and Chinese lacquerware to Iranian and Russian field archaeology, from East Asia to West Asia, also alludes to some of Gresman's research trajectory. These are incredible fates, which is also the magic of the archaeology of the Silk Road, and perhaps those who do things seriously will always be favored by Heaven.
Over the years, I have also paid more attention to the history of archaeology, especially the records of small people in some big eras, which is also a unique perspective. Because he has received many scholars, Mawson knows their itinerary very well, and has a unique understanding of some site information, and has also given me a lot of new suggestions for Iran to investigate.
4. Books that cannot be sent
In 2020 and 2021, the epidemic continues, and there is no hope for the recovery of overseas archaeological art surveys, which also gives everyone the opportunity to look back at the past, and they are working hard to sort out the materials excavated in the past and write books. And I can't go to Tehran to see Mawson and ask him questions anymore. In May, he commissioned a colleague at the University of Tehran to see him, only to learn that he was sick and hospitalized, and he was almost dead. So I had to entrust my colleagues to find his family on my behalf, send flowers and condolence gifts, and express my greetings. Thank you for his encouragement and help, so that I can find the feeling of old friends in Iran.
That time I went to Mr. Mawson's house and learned about his recent situation over the years, Mawson was not satisfied, because the old situation was decadent, he sold a lot of items, and he was already a disciple of the family. The best and most memorable memories of Mawson are no longer the books, but the old photos of his youth, especially when he visited Yamauchi's family in Japan a few years ago, and took many photos on his way through China, and he has always been grateful for this trip. After returning, he painted a portrait of Yamauchi's family, and after the portrait was completed, he never had the opportunity to send it. The thought of us buying Mawson's books at a very low price made me feel ashamed to be cheap. While we don't have much ability either, his life is not good either, and we can't easily take away his last memories and assets. I apologized euphemistically and was willing to leave some more money for him. But Mawson smiled happily on his shoulders and waved his hand generously, saying that books are useful, and that these old books will be useful to later scholars and will be published in exchange for new research results. Listening to me, Chinese scholars have also opened new archaeological sites in Iran, and he is very happy and willing to do his best to help us. Speaking of excitement, Mawson actually found out from the small room that he claimed to have secretly brewed wine to celebrate with me, and I insisted that I could not drink alcohol, because I knew that drinking alcohol in Iran was illegal and would bring a lot of trouble. But Mawson seems to be not at all afraid, and has been slamming current politics, loudly satirizing politicians who only incite young people to fight the world, who hide behind selfish cowards, and then quickly adjust to a state of celebration — finding a new owner for the books, toasting our future cooperation, toasting Chinese scholars to be able to write books on Iranian archaeology. Mawson's triumphant look, rebellious smile, especially different from this real world and era, I had to pick up the black tea in my hand and drink it for the future.
We had dinner together that day, talked about a lot of things, and called Yamauchi's family on the spot. He completed some portraits of Yamauchi's family in those days, and it is not difficult to see that Mawson misses his old friends and good times in the past. In recent years, due to severe sanctions and blockades, some people-to-people exchanges and cooperation have almost been blocked. Mawson also doesn't send emails, nor does he have the money to make international calls, so he can only paint and entertain this thought when he is rarely awake. I think all I can do is help him send it to Mr. Yamauchi and tell him everything that happened to me in Tehran.
Later, when I left, the rain had stopped, and I was very uncomfortable walking on the road, but I didn't have the ability to change this reality, even if I cared for it, what could I do? I also thought about my past and life path, and I wanted to see him again. When I returned, the days flew by quickly, and the efforts that had been made in Iran and the preparations for the work were easily denied by certain factors in reality. But the epidemic has ruthlessly overturned the world and torn the trust between countries, and everyone in the big era is facing the same fate. In the epidemic, I am used to disappointment and waiting, and I have calmly accepted the fate of the arrangement and will not think about it again.
A few days ago, a colleague at the University of Tehran told me that Mr. Mawson had passed away. Probably shortly after our last visit, Mawson died in a coma on a day in June. When the colleague went to visit the small bookstore, it was already empty, and the colleague sent a photo of the bookstore that carried the memory. Under the sluggish economy, the old man who watched the shop spent the last of his life. Looking at the familiar scene, we also met here, before the outbreak of the global epidemic, we still felt sorry for each other, and thought of picking up the old mountains and rivers, everyone still thought that this year we could walk more roads, see more wilderness relics, and carry out more and richer cooperation, but we did not expect that time was not waiting for people, and we could not complete our wishes and commitments.
Teacher Zhang Liangren, who was busy at the Taihe Forum in the Forbidden City in October 2021, has been communicating with archaeologists and exchanging and exploring the archaeological cooperation experience of various countries. When Teacher Zhang heard that I still wanted to go to Iran archaeology and plan to establish an archaeological base together, he was still enthusiastic about introducing my teacher's predecessors to me, introducing old bookstores in various regions, and letting me continue to follow their footsteps and guidance to learn and investigate... We also reminisced about Mawson, who also left memories in this bookstore. But when Professor Zhang Liangren delivered his collected papers to me, the past rose again, and regret crept into my heart again.
In reality, while reading, I occasionally think of Mawson, a friend who met in Pingshui, in a daze, and I still can't let go—I couldn't give Mawson a book about Chinese scholars writing a book containing records of archaeological excavations in Iran, I couldn't fill his bookshelf with a smile, I didn't have the opportunity to pluck up the courage to drink the glass of wine, and he left. Learning from the east and asking questions, in the thinking of the problem, there is also an extra instruction and expectation that cannot be sent out. Reading the archaeological research and stories of the Silk Road in the past and the present made me live in the complex emotions of reality, and I also learned to forget in reading, learn to reconcile with the regrets of the past, and only remember what the initial encounter was like.
(Acknowledgements: During the Survey of Cultural Heritage of The Ring of Iran, I was particularly assisted and cared for by Dr. Rui Li, Yuanqi Zhao and Dr. S. Mina, Professors Hassan N. Fazeli, F.P. Daneshpour and M. Esmaeliy of the University of Tehran. ）