Employing historical, ethnographic and archaeological sources, this monograph explores the human and material agents of war and warriors on the Tibetan Plateau. The cultural and religious foundations of combat and other bellicose traditions are surveyed through Tibetan textual and anthropological evidence, establishing an interpretative framework for analyzing the significance of the ancient rock art, monuments and artifacts also featured in this work. Set against such archaeological and artistic records, the investigation of martial ideas, practices and technologies permits the postulation of longstanding links in the conception and conduct of warfare in Tibet.