

Settling in Tibet required a Western import - sanxion
http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/11/settling-in-tibet-required-a-western-import/

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dschiptsov
Few facts to consider. First, the _dee butter_ is the most important commodity
among nomads. Most of Tibetan nomadic population of high-altitude Plato still
live out of Yak herds and caravan trade, not agriculture, unlike fertile
western provinces.

Second, there is much more influence in traditional households from closely
related tribes of neighboring Nepal and Sikkim and Bhutan (Sherpa, Lepcha,
Tamang, Bhutia) than from Ladakh or Chinese mainland, so it is more reasonable
to think of Nepalese/Indian influence.

Third, there were more trade and migration with Nepal and North India than
China or Kashmir. Some caravan routes ran there, of course, but they were not
that busy as those to Kathmandu, Sikkim or Bhutan.

You could see that most of heritage buildings in Lhasa has been decorated by
Nepalese craftsmen and artists.

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twelvechairs
'North India', 'Nepal' and the like are reasonably clear locations based on
modern states but China and Tibet's relationship to it is less clear in what
you say, both for its current status (let's not forget most of historic Tibet
is not in the Tibetan Autonomous Region) and history of shifting borders and
smaller states.

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wtbob
> Yet there are traces of human life there dating back at least 20,000 years
> BP (Before Present, Present being defined as January 1, 1950, as used in
> radiocarbon dating).

What's wrong with writing '20,000 years ago'? Seriously, 'BP' instead of
'ago'‽

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frtab
Because the real present is constantly moving. To prevent confusion several
sciences use 1950 as the present, so if somebody quotes an article where
something is radiocarbon dated as 80 years BP, you don't then have to look up
the age of the article.

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contingencies
'Western' is a bit of a stretch ... _Wild barley (H. vulgare ssp. spontaneum)
ranges from North Africa and Crete in the west, to Tibet in the east._

