National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Sec. ii]   LIST OF ANTIQUES ACQUIRED AT KHOTAN   127

Ark. Han. 063. Fr. of stucco relief fig. or plaque.

Crossed down-hanging feet of seated Buddha as in preceding fr. Edges of feet presented to front, and instep and toes well curved towards each other. Edge of robe nebuly. Burnt. r -'s"x r}".

Ark. Han. 064. Stucco relief fr. Octagonal faceted jewel, with lower end supported by seed-vessel of open lotus, and waving flame at other. Simplified form of Ser. iv. Pl. X, K. S. 0017. Burnt. z}" x r I"

Ark. Han. 065. Misc. stone and glass beads, and frs. ;

crystal, shell, agate, carnelian, turquoise, coral, garnet, &c. Gr. M. g".

Ark. Han. o66. Fr. of carnelian seal, rectangular with corners cut off. Engraved with Arabic chars., poorly cut. Yellow carnelian. i ~" x 1 "

Ark. Han. 067. Fr. of carnelian seal, yellow-red, elliptical, showing head and shield of Athene (?). Poor work.

„ x

i~.5   .

OBJECTS SAID TO IIAVE BEEN BROUGHT FROM TOGHRAK-MAZAR SITE, SAMPULA

Samp. or. Fr. of wooden pedestal (?), similar to Ast. iii. 4. 063. Part of front border mitred at L. end for junction with return side ; broken at R. end where a convex upward cut curve of lower edge suggests centre of side. Channel drilled at this part and exposed by break was probably for a pin.

Between two ends of fr. the lower edge cut into series of four roughly segmental arches. Three broken wooden dowel pins remain, two near mitred end, and one at centre for pegging to top board of pedestal. Painted black or dark brown on front and edges. Well preserved.

4"

s} xllg x

Samp. oz. Fr. of leather. Buff colour ; one edge curled over. Perished and eaten into holes. r I" x I}".

Samp. 03. Fr. of wooden bowl, lathe-made, wide-mouthed, with thickened base. Black stains inside; material well preserved. Orig. diam. c. 4}" at mouth ; at base 3". H. z}". Pl. Ix.

Samp. 04. Frs. of painted banner. Thin loosely woven buff silk, with outlines faintly visible traced in grey pigment. Part of head about half life-size, to R. p., wearing tiara (?). Top binding in purple twilled silk with remains of loop. Very ragged and perished. Width zo" ; length of larger fr. 26" ; of smaller 8".

Samp. os. Fr. of wooden tab. Slightly tapering, broken at narrow end, the broad end being cut into abrupt angular pipt. On one side three very cursive chars. (Tibetan ?) in very black ink. Wood fine-grained and hard. Long edges roughly rounded. Well preserved. 31" x r" x }". PI. XI.

Samp. 06. Two frs. of coarse woollen serge. Red.

f"

6"xz; 6"xiI".

Samp. 07. Two frs. of tapestry border, woven in wool : red, yellow, buff, and purple on a broken blue ground. Bold pattern, perpendic. to long edges, consists of a rather badly balanced modified anthemion, the terminal portion having the form of an inverted Pipal leaf of which the base finishes in two symmetrical scrolls.

In centre of leaf a spot of purple, brown, or yellow, contrasting with colour of leaf. The pattern rings the changes on the colours named. Blue ground cleverly shot with all other colours, giving a soft harmony to the whole.

Band of changing colour on each edge, into which the blue ground sends invading points to break the otherwise continuous slit between the two portions. Well worked. Colour in one well preserved, the other stained. Ragged. 7" x 31" ; 9}i" x 3I". Pl. LXXVII.

SECTION III.—FINDS AT SITES NEAR DOMOKO

On November 3oth I set out from the eastern edge of the Khotan oasis for the long journey Start from

eastwards. A marching distance of close on 700 miles still separated me from the Lop Desert, Khotan for

journey

my main goal for the winters explorations, and it was essential for the work which I intended to eastwards.

carry out there that I should reach it while the winter cold lasted and allowed water to be transported for a sufficient period in the convenient form of ice. This consideration made it necessary to keep as far as possible to the direct caravan track, already familiar to me from my previous journeys, and thus to assure rapid progress. I could not however forgo opportunities for fresh archaeological observations at sites close to that route, and the information I had gathered at Khotan suggested such opportunities at two points.

The first was in the vicinity of the small oasis of Domoko. It is ground possessed of special Sites near

antiquarian interest on account of the striking changes that the cultivated area hère has undergone Domoko

previously

right down to modern times, and of the numerous ruined sites to be found in those portions of it explored. that have been abandoned to the desert. The series of these sites which I had occasion to explore in 190I and again in 1906 and 1908, and which stretches from Ulügh-ziâ.rat in the west to Farhàd-