Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

Acknowledgments

This scholarship was compiled by John Vincent Bellezza through a fellowship for East Asian Archaeology and Early History from the American Council of Learned Societies with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation. The technical work, design, copy editing, and preparation in digital format was done at the University of Virginia by the Tibetan & Himalayan Library with a grant from the Luce Foundation and the US Department of Education TICFIA Program.

In particular, I salute the outstanding expertise of the following individuals involved in the technical work and editing. In alphabetical order:

• Geoffrey Barstow, editing
• Tom Benner, map preparation
• Quentin Devers, editing and map preparation
• Mark Ferrara, web-design
• Nathaniel Grove, technical support
• William McGrath, editing
• Alison Melnick, editing
• Andres Montano, technical support
• David Newman, technical support
• Mickey Stockwell, editing
• Steven Weinberger, editing, technical support, project management
• Michael White, editing

Since 1994, this inventory of pre-Buddhist archaeological sites in Upper Tibet has been made possible through the friendship and cooperation of many fine people. I warmly thank the more than 5000 residents of Upper Tibet who helped guide me to their archaeological heritage and who patiently tried to answer my many questions about them. I cordially acknowledge the assistance and guidance of numerous Tibet Autonomous Region provincial, prefectural, county, and township authorities. Their help was indispensable in the pursuance of my work. Moreover, I could not have comprehensively explored sites throughout the region without the active and sustained sponsorship of the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences and the Ngari Xiangxiong Cultural Exchange Association. These institutions and the people who work for them command my deep admiration. I also want to thank the crews of drivers, guides, cooks and assistants who accompanied me on most expeditions. They performed in an exemplary fashion in what were challenging circumstances.

The organizations and institutions that financially supported my work over the last twelve years deserve my greatest appreciation and special credit. I simply could not have done my work without their support. I list those who have awarded me grants and fellowships in alphabetical order:

• American Council of Learned Societies in conjunction with the Henry Luce Foundation (New York)
• Asian Cultural Council (New York)
• Kalpa Group (Oxford)
• National Geographic Expeditions Council (Washington D. C.)
• Shang Shung Institute (Merigar)
• Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation (New York)
• Spalding Trust (Stowmarket)
• Tibetan Medical Foundation (Weslaco)
• Trust for Mutual Understanding (New York)
• Unicorn Foundation (Atlanta)

I express profound gratitude to my Tibetan BönBon teachers of history and literature: His Holiness Menri Tridzin Ponsé LamaSman ri khri 'dzin dpon gsas bla ma, Loppön Tendzin NamdakSlob dpon bstan ’dzin rnam dag and Yungdrung TendzinG.yung drung bstan 'dzin. It is also with much pleasure that I extend my thanks to Gene Smith (Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center), Ernst Steinkellner (Universität Wien), David Germano (University of Virginia), and Charles Ramble (Oxford University) for their academic support and friendly encouragement. Finally, I am delighted to acknowledge the goodwill and assistance of John Bellezza (Southampton), Mickey Stockwell (Boulder), Mary Lanier (New York), and Karen Harris (Trinidad). Without the moral support and practical aid of these very fine individuals, my exploratory and scholarly endeavors could not have come to fruition.