Papers by Karl E . Ryavec
Studies in Digital Heritage , 2025
In the mid-20th century, United States U-2 Spy Planes flew over Central Tibet and captured high-r... more In the mid-20th century, United States U-2 Spy Planes flew over Central Tibet and captured high-resolution aerial photographs of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries just before they were destroyed en masse during China's Cultural Revolution ca. 1966-76. This paper presents a cross-disciplinary study that uses Frame 2646R from U-2 Mission G3203 as the foundation for a 3D reconstruction of the Monastery. The methodology combines shadow analysis, satellite image orthorectification, and architectural rendering with extensive historical research drawn from Tibetan, Chinese, and Western sources. As a digital heritage initiative, it explores 3D modeling alternatives to photogrammetry, a method which requires numerous images to digitally reconstruct a single landmark. For now-destroyed historical sites with little existing visual documentation, shadow analysis presents a unique opportunity for 3D modeling. This paper culminates in two 3D reconstruction results, including: 1) a depiction of building masses on Nartang Monastery's campus based only on shadow analysis and 2) a model with detailed renderings of some of the Monastery's most notable spaces. To reconstruct the latter, sources such as early architectural field work drawings, a thangka painting, and accounts from travelogues contributed to incorporating speculative, stylized features into the shadow-analysis model. Our team of architects and researchers hopes this work informs future collaboration across fields to support cultural heritage preservation, especially in contexts where significant built manifestations of culture are lost.
Here I present for reference the front and back of a late sixteenth century memorial thangka of t... more Here I present for reference the front and back of a late sixteenth century memorial thangka of three Tibetan teachers of the Lamdre in a Chinese landscape style inscribed on the back by the 17 th Abbot of Ngor in commemoration of his recently deceased teacher the 15 th Abbot. More detailed information can be found in my recent 2024 article "A Previously Unknown Chinese
IEEE Xplore Digital Library, 2018
This study examines 31 Cubic Mountaintop Tombs in Western Tibet with GIS-derived Viewsheds. The p... more This study examines 31 Cubic Mountaintop Tombs in Western Tibet with GIS-derived Viewsheds. The purpose of this preliminary survey is to determine if this unique type of tomb found only on this part of the Tibetan Plateau and believed to date from the Bronze to Iron Ages was constructed and designed to be seen by passers-by below or were they intended to be hidden from view. This preliminary survey represents the first such effort to utilize Digital Elevation Models (DEM) in constructing Viewsheds of archaeological sites on the Tibetan Plateau. Initial findings indicate one Mountaintop Tomb was constructed in a location visible to both passers-by below and the highest local mountain peak.
Aerial Archaeology Research Group News, 2022
Books by Karl E . Ryavec
University of California, eScholarship, 2026
This atlas presents a comprehensive cartographic reconstruction of the historical geography of Kh... more This atlas presents a comprehensive cartographic reconstruction of the historical geography of Kham (Eastern Tibet) circa 1950, immediately prior to the major political, social, and institutional transformations of the second half of the twentieth century. Drawing upon a geospatial database of more than 1,500 Buddhist monasteries, temples, hermitages, and Bonpo religious establishments, it maps monastic distributions, sectarian affiliations, language regions, trade routes, and regional systems across eastern Tibet. Using historical GIS methods, reconstructed monastic population estimates, and terrain-adjusted spatial modeling, the atlas identifies the monastic cities, towns, corridors, and peripheral zones that structured social, economic, and religious life throughout Kham. Designed as an open-access scholarly resource, it serves as a cartographic companion to the Kham Regional Systems Dataset and the broader reconstruction of eastern Tibet's historical regional systems.
A Historical Atlas of Tibet - Maps Only, 2023
These are the maps from the draft editing copy of my "A Historical Atlas of Tibet." (University... more These are the maps from the draft editing copy of my "A Historical Atlas of Tibet." (University of Chicago Press, 2015). The final copy had more maps, plus text and images. But I retained the publishing rights to my maps and wish to make these here freely available to students and scholars in a CC-BY-NC-ND (Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial NoDerivs) manner. Of course I cannot monitor or enforce this but at least I can state this form of Creative Commons licensing here.
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Papers by Karl E . Ryavec
Books by Karl E . Ryavec