| This thesis addresses the topic of the early history of Tibet from the prehistoric period to 200 C.E. and the factors that led to the development of an early Tibetan culture. it examines the Neolithic period, the spread of the Tibetan peoples from the Tibetan Plateau into China, the development of tribal associations of the Tibetans, especially the Ch'iang and Ti tribes, the influences of the Bon shamanist religion, the development of trade routes across Tibet and the role of the Tibetans during the expansion of Eurasian trade throughout the period.;Research reveals that a culture developed on the Tibetan Plateau, as early as the fifth century B.C.E. that may be defined as Tibetan and that it played a major role in the development of Tibetan and Chinese civilization. At the same time it sustained a distinctive and separate identity. |
