July/August 2016 Issue

INDIA: At Ellora Caves, a complex of more than 30 rock-carved temples in Maharashtra, among countless surviving statues and reliefs, are the remains of frescoes on some walls and ceilings. They’ve survived more than 1,500 years in part, the authors of a new study believe, because hemp—cannabis, known as bhang in India—was mixed with the plaster. The composite material, called hempcrete, can provide strength, thermal insulation, fire resistance, pest resistance, and sound absorption.

HONG KONG: Despite World War II and the city’s celebrated modern development, a few fragments of old Hong Kong still survive, such as a recently identified stone marker. It is engraved “B.O. No. 4,” which refers to the “Board of Ordnance,” the British military group responsible for mapping prior to 1855. The position of the stone, in a resort village that was once the site of the British barracks, was confirmed on an 1845 map. It dates to the earliest years of British occupation following the First Opium War (1839–1842). —Samir S. Patel

NEPAL: In the Samdzong tomb complex in Upper Mustang, beside a gold and silver funerary mask, were several textiles that are the subject of a new analysis. They include separate pieces made of wool and horsehair, as well as silk, colored with a variety of organic dyes. Most intriguing was that silk wasn’t produced locally at the time, around 1,500 years ago, which suggests that the area was not isolated as once thought, but had connections with the Silk Road, and that locals ably combined local products with imports from India and China. —Samir S. Patel