The author · Haḍḍa Archaeological Database
Dr. Alexandra Vanleene
Doctor in Antiquity Sciences — specialist in the Buddhist art and archaeology of Gandhāra
Strasbourg, France
At a glance
- Title
- Doctor in Antiquity Sciences (Strasbourg, 2011)
- Specialty
- Buddhist art and archaeology of Gandhāra
- Based in
- Strasbourg, France
- Project
- Director of the Haḍḍa Archeo Database (since 2016)
Biography
At the origin of the Haḍḍa Archéo Database project, Alexandra Vanleene is a doctor in Antiquity Sciences, specialising in the Buddhist art and archaeology of Gandhāra. Her research focuses on the artistic tradition of modelling in the decoration of the Buddhist monasteries of Afghanistan — particularly at Haḍḍa — on the geographical expansion of Gandhāran art, and on the development of its regional characteristics. From 2005 to 2012, she served as head of archaeological operations within the Franco-Afghan mission for the survey and excavation of Bāmiyān, led by Prof. Zémaryalaï Tarzi. Since 2021, she has taken part in the Digital Gandhāra Project of the Harvard FAS CAMLab as an independent scientific advisor.
Current roles
- 2016 →
Director / Project leader
- 2021 →
Independent academic advisor
Digital Gandhāra Project — Harvard FAS CAMLab
- 2023, 2025
Researcher
MAFIL — Mission Archéologique Franco-Indienne au Ladakh
Himalayan Rock Art Database Project
- 2024
Visiting professor
Master Archaeology & Cultural Heritage, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
Archaeology in the Asian World: Introduction to the Buddhist Archaeology and Art of Gandhāra (sept. 2024)
Research projects & collaborations
- 2024
Organiser — international colloquium
ITI HiSAAR, Université de Strasbourg
« Gandhāran Artists and Artisans. Representations of an Era of Religious Images » (avec A. Marguier & V. Brice)
- 2022
Scientific collaboration
University of Chicago — Oriental Institute
Chicago Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation — Haḍḍa Sculptural Project (communication & publication des résultats)
- 2022
Invited lectures
China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation / Fudan University
Guardians of Bāmiyān Project
University education
- 2011
Doctorate (PhD) — Antiquity Sciences (Archaeology)
Université de Strasbourg
« Étude archéologique et iconographique de la représentation des scènes de la vie du Buddha et de l’imagerie bouddhique dans l’art de Haḍḍa (Afghanistan) » — Pr. Zémaryalaï Tarzi
- 2005
Postgraduate research diploma (DEA)
Université de Strasbourg
« L’iconographie des modelages en stuc retrouvés par J. Barthoux à Haḍḍa »
- 2004
Master’s — Antiquity Sciences
Université de Strasbourg
« Le Sermon de Bénarès dans la sculpture gréco-bouddhique du Gandhāra »
- 2002
Bachelor’s — History of Art & Archaeology
Université de Strasbourg
Spécialité : archéologie bouddhique de l’Inde ancienne et du Gandhāra
Archaeological fieldwork
- 2005 – 2012
Head of archaeological operations
Mission franco-afghane de Bāmiyān (Afghanistan)
Pr. Zémaryalaï Tarzi
- 2004
Excavation technician
Col des Pandours, Saverne (France)
A.-M. Adam & S. Fichtl
Publications
Edited volume
- 2025
Vanleene A., Marguier A. & Brice V. (eds.) — Gandhāran Artists and Artisans. Representations of an Era of Religious Images
Proceedings of the International Colloquium, ITI HiSAAR, Université de Strasbourg, 22–23 May 2024
Book chapters
- 2026
The merging of Theravādin and Mahāsaṁghika traditions in the decoration of Haḍḍa monasteries
In A. Lakshminarayanan & M. Mendoza (eds.), Multicultural Religious Interactions in Ancient Central and South Asia — Springer Nature
- ·
The Surveys and Archaeological Excavations in Haḍḍa (1825–1979) · The Buddhist Monasteries of Haḍḍa
In G. Stein et al. (eds.), The NMA–ISAC Haḍḍa Sculptural Project (à paraître)
Conference proceedings & papers
- 2026
Preliminary Findings from Harvard FAS CAMLab’s Pilot Project: Digital Reconstruction of Tapa-e Shotor Monastery in Haḍḍa, Afghanistan — A Step Forward in Digital Gandhāra
With C. Y. Leow & X. Shao — EASAA, Leipzig (conference Sept. 2024)
- 2025
Tracing a Gandhāran Artist-Modeller’s Hand: Uncovering Haḍḍa Monasteries’ Chronological Sequence via Modelled Works Examination
Pp. 215–250 in Vanleene, Marguier & Brice (eds.), Gandhāran Artists and Artisans (ITI HiSAAR proceedings)
- 2019
Differences and similarities in Gandhāran art production: the case of the modelling school of Haḍḍa (Afghanistan)
Pp. 143–163 in W. Rienjang & P. Stewart (eds.), The Geography of Gandhāran Art — Archaeopress, Oxford
- 2012
Haḍḍa, Kaboul-Kapiça, Bāmiyān : trois écoles artistiques de modelage entre l’Inde et la Chine
Pp. 279–298 in G. Ducoeur (éd.), Autour de Bāmiyān — Archeologia Afghana, Paris
Reports & obituaries
- 2026
Working together for a vision of Himalayan archaeology. Workshop held at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, 13–17 November 2023 (conference report)
With L. Bruneau & M. S. Aldenderfer — European Bulletin of Himalayan Research
- 2024
Zémaryalaï Tarzi (1939–2024) — obituary
With A. Filigenzi — East and West, N.S. 5 (64), no. 2, December 2024
Forthcoming
- ·
Posthumous edition of Prof. Z. Tarzi’s doctoral dissertation (defended 1991): Haḍḍa à la lumière des fouilles afghanes de Tapa-e Shotor et Tapa-e Tope Kalān, 4 vols.
Alongside her own doctoral dissertation on the iconography and the stucco-modelling school of Haḍḍa
Invited lectures & conferences (selection)
- 2026
Haḍḍa’s Artistic Legacy and Its Transmission: Insights from the Decorative Program of Edifice 56 at Bāgh Gaï (Afghanistan)
May · 3rd Int. Conference of the Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan, Islamabad, 19–20 May (remote)
- 2025
From Afghanistan to China: Artistic Exchanges between Major Buddhist Centers of Central Asia
Oct. · Dunhuang Cave Bookstore, Dunhuang, 24 Oct.
- 2025
Iconographic Insights into the Decorative Program of Great Stūpa 68 at Tapa Kalān, Haḍḍa (Afghanistan)
Oct. · 20th Anniversary of Academia Turfanica & 7th Int. Symposium on Turfan Studies, Turfan, 18–21 Oct.
- 2025
Iconographic Insights into the Decorative Programs of Great Stūpa 68 at Tapa Kalān and Edifice 56 at Bāgh Gaï, Haḍḍa (Afghanistan)
Sept. · Re-materialising the ephemeral — eartHeritage Symposium, Naples, 16–17 Sept.
- 2025
Graeco-Roman Influences in Gandhāran Buddhist Mythological Imagery: Processes of Appropriation and Identity Transformation
July · International Webinar of the Lahore Museum (online)
- 2025
The Demons of Māra’s Army: From Text to Image, a Comparative Examination through Gandhāra, the Monasteries of Haḍḍa, and Ancient India
Feb. · Zhejiang University, History Department (online)
- 2024
The Demons of Māra’s Army: From Text to Image, a Comparative Examination through Gandhāra, the Monasteries of Haḍḍa, and Ancient India
Sept. · SEECHAC — Société Européenne pour l’étude des Civilisations de l’Himalaya et de l’Asie Centrale (online)
- 2024
Preliminary Findings from Harvard FAS CAMLab’s Pilot Project: Digital Reconstruction of Tapa-e Shotor Monastery in Haḍḍa, Afghanistan
Sept. · With C. Y. Leow — 26th EASAA Conference, Leipzig, 15–21 Sept.
- 2023
Le projet Haḍḍa Archeo Database : une archive numérique pour la préservation des données archéologiques et la compréhension de l’identité multiculturelle de l’art du Gandhāra
Feb. · Central Asian Studies Days — CERMI, GIS MOMM, CNRS, IFEAC, INALCO, Paris
- 2022
Les monastères bouddhiques de Haḍḍa (Afghanistan) et le projet Haḍḍa Archéo Database
Dec. · École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Paris
- 2022
A brief history of surveys and archaeological excavations in Haḍḍa (1825–1979)
Dec. · Re-assembling Haḍḍa — University of Chicago, Oriental Institute (online)
- 2022
Bāmiyān (Afghanistan), one of the great Buddhist monastic centres of Central Asia in the light of archaeological excavations
Nov. · Guardians of Bāmiyān Project, Fudan University
- 2022
La prospection et les fouilles de la Délégation archéologique française en Afghanistan à Haḍḍa (1923–1928)
Sept. · Centenary of the D.A.F.A. — a century of Franco-Afghan archaeological cooperation, Strasbourg
- 2022
Launching the Haḍḍa Archeo Database Project: a Digital Archive for the Preservation of Archaeological Data and Understanding of the Multi-Cultural Identity of Gandhāran Art
July · 25th International Conference of the EASAA, Barcelona
- 2021
Aesthetic and Iconographic Borrowings of Characters from Buddhist Legend from Hellenistic Characters: Appropriation and Transformation of Identity
Dec. · Harvard CAMLab Seminar
- 2019
Le décor des monastères bouddhiques de Haḍḍa : où audace et créativité se mêlent à la tradition canonique
Oct. · Association Les Amis de Larsa, Institut Michelet, Paris
- 2013
Le Mahāparinirvāṇa du Buddha, ses funérailles, sa crémation et le partage des reliques
Dec. · Des pleureuses aux deuils planétaires — CETHIS, Tours
- 2008
Les portraits de moines dans l’art de Haḍḍa
March · Le portrait dans l’antiquité — GIRI, Université de Strasbourg
- 2007
La transformation d’identité des personnages iconographiques hellénistiques dans l’imagerie bouddhique
Jan. · Séminaire interdisciplinaire d’archéologie, Université de Strasbourg
Areas of expertise
- Afghan-Buddhist archaeology
- Gandhāran art
- Buddhist iconography
- Stucco modelling schools
- Monasteries of Haḍḍa
- Bāmiyān
- Central Asian studies
- Digital archaeology
- Heritage preservation