国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

Return to Tülküchköl.

148   FROM KHOTAN TO LOP   [Chap. IV

I returned to Tülküch-köl on December 18th in the same perfectly clear and calm weather, which, combined with temperatures falling as low as 42 degrees F. below freezing-point, had prevailed all through my visit and had allowed the snowy range far away to the south to be sighted daily from the ruins. Proceeding by the track that I had followed on my previous visits, I could now understand why the belt of high tamarisk-cones that extends south of the ancient bridge gives way, after less than two miles, to level ground covered with living forest. While the ancient terminal bed of the river with its rows of dead Toghraks and its banks screened by tamarisk-bound sand ridges trends away to the west, the ground reached by the termination of the deep Yar striking due north of Darya-tilgan had probably continued to receive moisture, either by floods or underground drainage close to the surface, ever since that ancient terminal bed had ceased to carry water. It is likely enough that what was a mere overflow channel in the early centuries of our era became the terminal bed of the dying river after the ancient settlement had ceased to exist. This would afford an explanation of the striking change in scenery that meets the eye when the traveller passes from the desolation of the dead oasis into the luxuriant forest that extends along the banks of the ` Yar ' and approaches its southernmost ruins.

SECTION V.—LIST OF ANTIQUES FROM NIYA SITE

MISCELLANEOUS OBJECTS

N. 01-2. Two bronze discs, concave and pierced in centre for iron pin (which remains in 02). Cf. Ser. iv. Pl. XXXVI, L.A. 0020. Well preserved. or. Diam. depth I". oz. Diam. 2i", depth s".

3.  Gold (?) ear or nose ring. 0rn., roughly star-shaped, composed of a network of open filigree upon which are fine grains ; clusters of grains forming points round the edges. Well preserved. I" x ". PI. XXIV.

4.  a—g. Misc. bronze and glass frs. : (a) Bronze ` cat's bell ', complete, cast, with ring for suspension ;

as Ser. iv. PI. XXIX, L.A. 00I04-5.   "x i". (b)
Circular lignite orn. ; flat on rev., with small channel cut across ; obv. convex, cut in four lobes or fillets, like part of orange, the two outer pierced. I" x I". (c) Blue glass

bead, six-sided barrel-shape.   Length i". (d) Blue
glass bead, small circular transverse section, a flattened

hexagon. Diam.   (e) Black glass bead, of faulty
barrel-shape. Length i". (f) Yellow glass bead, flattened lenticular. Length h". (g) Brown pebble. Gr. M. a".

N. os. a—f. Misc. frs. of paste and glass beads, &c. (a) Fr. of spherical paste bead of coarse millefiori type ; green, yellow, and red. Diam. /". (b) Glass bead, fine

blue, translucent ; drum-shaped. Diam.   (c) Fr. of
fine millefiori glass bead, black, white, green, pink, and yellow. 4" x i". (d) Plain white glass bead, drum-shaped. Diam. i". (e) Fr. of lignite bead, spherical. r x I". (J) Small fr. of bronze. i"x

N. c6. Bronze buckle with iron tongue and rivet. Loop of attachment for buckle is in form of circular plate, hollowed, and with chamfered edges, having at one side a projecting strip which is doubled backwards to form hinge for buckle and tongue, and clamping piece for attachment to leather or other material. Ring of buckle,

FOUND AT NIYA SITE

circular, flattened at hinge side. Well preserved. I-i" x I". Pl. XXIv.

7.  Fr. of bronze rod, prob. spoon handle. Length diam. a".

8.  Fr. of haematite, showing marks of cutting ; one face flat, ground smooth. i " x i-" x I".

N. og. Misc. glass, paste, and shell frs., including ten beads of glass, paste and shell ; three frs. of glass beads ; three lumps of dark grey paste (not drilled) ; one small seed, and two small frs. of strip bronze.

Complete beads are of blue, green, yellow, black, and translucent white glass, and one gilded. Shapes : four-sided cylinder with corners levelled, single and double ring-shapes, and grooved cylinders. Gr. M. r.

N. ono. Misc. glass, stone, paste, and bronze frs. ; including twenty-five glass, paste, and carnelian beads, three frs. of glass beads, seven irregular balls of dark grey paste, one oblong fr. of bronze drilled in centre, and one fr. of Han coin. Largest beads : two red carnelian, of octagonal cylinder shape, tapering to ends. Length I".

N. on. Two glass beads ; one spherical, yellow glass, translucent, diam. f" ; one small grooved-cylinder shape, bright blue, translucent, length i ".

12.  Half of bronze hinge or buckle, pear-shaped, with pierced design. 14" x 1". Pl. XXIV.

13.  Flattened bronze ring of strip metal. Length I", width of strip i".

14.  Seven beads of glass and paste (two with white line ornament) and one carnelian (broken). Gr.

M. I„

N. 015-19. Misc. bronze frs. oz 5. Thin oblong bronze

plate, drilled at one end. I}" x   . oz6. Eight-petalled