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

412   THE ANCIENT SITE BEYOND THE NIYA RIVER   [Chap. XI

N. xvii.   Under-tablet. Obv. 6 11. Khar., cursive, well-written ;

very black and clear. Slightly insect-eaten. Rev, blank. Perfectly preserved. 7A" x 2h". See Pl. CIV.

N. xvii. 4. Wedge cov.-tablet, much broken ; point missing. Obv. Seal cay. 24" from sq. end. Traces of writing on both sides of cay. Remains of seal. Rev. 11.

Khar., fragmentary, black, cursive. I I " x 2i" x â". Very rotten, discoloured, and sand-encrusted.

N. xvii. 5. Stick-like tablet, fragment. Obv. (flat) t 1. Khar., cursive, coarsely written, much faded. Surface cracked and perished. Rev. (round) blank ; bleached.

6"" a   ~ x ,./•

OBJECTS EXCAVATED IN N.

N. xviii. N. xviii. t. Oblong tablet, obtusely pointed at one end. Hole near point, not central. Traces of Khar. char. on

both sides (cf. N. xviii. 3).   x r$". Perished, curled,
and bleached.

N. xviii. t. b. Stick-like tablet ; hole near pointed end. Obv. (flat) 3 11. Khar., broken by intervals (cf. N. xviii. 3). Rev. (round) blank. 5" x r. Well-preserved.

N. xviii. 2. Stick-like tablet ; hole at one end. Obv. (flat) 4 11. Khar, very finely written. Broken by intervals, forming vertical columns (cf. N. xviii. 3). Rev. (round) faint traces of characters I" from hole. 61" x $". Soft, rather perished at one end.

N. xviii. 3. Stick-like tablet, hole at pointed end. Obv. 3 11. Khar., fine, rather indistinct. Lines broken by intervals, items ranging in vertical columns.. Rev. blank. 5" x r. Well-preserved.

N. xviii. 4. Wedge cov.-tablet, hole near point. Obv. Seal cay. Ir from sq. end. t 1. Khar. (faint) between sq. end and cay. Usual char. near hole. Rev. 2 11. Khar., very cursive ; fairly clear in middle. 71" x I ". Wood hard.

N. xviii. 5. Oblong tablet ; hole at top to R. p. Obv. 3 11. Khar., columnar, faint. Rev. t 1. faint. (Cf. N. xviii. 3.) 4rX Iii". Soft, but apparently complete.

N. xviii. 6. Oblong tablet ; hole below to R. p. Obv. (?) Faint traces of Khar. characters. Rev. Transversely (opposite end to hole) 3 11. Khar., very cursive. 51" x X ".

N. xviii. 7. Oblong tablet, obtusely pointed at one end, sq. at other, near which hole. Khar. char. very faint, and apparently very irregular, written on both sides. 8" x Rather perished.

N. xviii. 8. Wedge under-tablet ; hole near point. Obv. 2 11. Khar., cursive, with initial form. Rev. Traces of

char. at sq. end. 7A" x Ig". Well-preserved.

N. xviii. ot. a. Two wooden disks, irregularly circular, diam. z", about A" thick in centre, thinner at edges ; two holes in each about r apart. Joined by cord passing through holes, ends of cord cleverly ' put away '; looks as if it might have been used as a dead eye. See Pl. LXX.

N. xviii. ox. b. Piece of knotted hemp (?) cord, similar to that used in (a).

N. xviii. oI. c. Piece of coarse woollen fabric, dark-grey and dirty-white. Probably portion of saddle-bag.

N. xviii. ot. d. Portion of cotton (?) cloth, with simple diaper pattern. Some edges neatly hemmed. Joined in one place by oversewing.

N. xviii. ox. e. Portion of plain cotton (?) cloth.

N. xviii. ot. f. Portion of plain cotton (?) cloth dyed reddish-brown (Indian maj t colour). All fabrics much perished and insect-eaten.

N. xix. I. Wedge under-tablet ; hole near point. Obv. Encrusted with sand and straw. Khar. char. visible where wood is exposed. Rev. Encrusted as Obv. No writing visible. 141" X 21'. Wood hard ; large piece split off from sq. end; this end charred. See Pl. C.

N. xix. 2. Wooden mousetrap. Consists of a piece of wood t 6" x 4" in its broadest part x â", shaped somewhat like a tailor's sleeve-board, but smaller and more tapering. Through the broad end is pierced a round hole I " in diam., and round about it are drilled 4 pairs of smaller holes. Near the thinner end is another small hole. These small holes were evidently intended to hold pegs, probably for adjusting the necessary tackle, bait, &c., and the remains of two pegs are still present. A shallow groove runs along one face of the instrument from the wider end almost to the thinner, crossing the large hole centrally. Well-preserved. See PI. LXXIII.

OBJECTS FOUND IN N. vIII.

N. xx. N. xx. I. Takhti-shaped tablet ; trapezoid-shaped handle, pierced with large hole. Obv. (handle to R. p.) 3 11. carefully written but badly faded Brâhmi. Encrusted with sand. Rev. (handle to L. p.) 2 short 11. Khar., cursive, from handle. I IA" x t$". Wood soft.

N. xx. 2. Wedge cov.-tablet ; hole near point. Obv. 2. " from sq. end. Seal cay. (small) ; on both sides t 1. Khar., very cursive and faint. Usual char. at hole. Rev. blank. r 3A" x 23". Extremely well-preserved.