New progress in chronological study of Buddhism caves: combining Bayesian modelling with archaeological information to improve dating resolution

The Buddhist caves along the Silk Road have offered a tremendous amount of first-hand materials to study the interaction between east and west. However, in order to advance the understanding of the underlying development and the historic values, a finer chronological framework is required. Using the Dunhuang Mogao grottoes as an example, this paper attempts to combine inscriptions, relative chronological studies and a large number of radiocarbon dates within the Bayesian algorithm (OxCal). It allows us further improve the chronology of the Cave 268/272/274 at Dunhuang and sketch the life history of the Cave 285. Therefore, it is proper to argue that this methodology can be extended to the studies of many other Buddhist caves along the Silk Road and it may further contribute to the Buddhism study in China as well as the human interactions along the Silk Road