The Sampul tapestry is a woolen wall-hanging that was found in Sampul; near Khotan; in the Tarim Basin inside a 3rd-2nd century BCE mass grave.

The tapestry depicts a soldier; probably Greek; and a Centaur. It is probably a Greek work from Central Asia (Greco-Bactria) and uses more than 24 threads of different colors in a typical western technique.

The soldier wears a tunic with rosette motifs. His headband could be a diadem; the symbol of kingship in the Hellenistic world; as represented on Macedonian and other Greek coins. The presence of the Centaur as a motif; a typical element of Greek mythology; floral motifs; and the realistic rendering further reinforce the identification of the soldier as Greek. The tapestry was; curiously; fashioned into a pair of trousers; indicating that it may have been used as a decorative trophy.

The existence of this tapestry tends to suggest that contacts between the Hellenistic kingdoms of Central Asia and the Tarim Basin; at the edge of the Chinese world occurred from around the 3rd century BCE.

Pictures From History