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

and north-eastern portions of the great salt-encrusted sea-bed, which I had reason to assume that ancient route must have passed through or skirted, it was essential to effect excavations rapidly, and therefore to take along as many labourers as I could possibly manage to keep supplied with water.

Arrange- The thirty camels I had succeeded in collecting were by no means too many for the large
ments for
transport amount of stores and baggage to be carried. We had to take sufficient ice to assure minimum
in Lop
Desert. allowances of water for thirty-five people for at least one month, and food supplies for one month for all, and for an additional month for my own people ; in addition to this there was the outfit of furs, felts, &c., required to afford protection against the icy blasts of the wintry desert, and the silver, photographic plates and other stores, which I could not risk to part with. Apart from our own fine beasts, I had few camels likely to prove equal to prolonged exertions in an absolute desert, offering neither food nor water. It was accordingly clear that the loads of the others would have to be kept light, and that the labourers would have to help to carry the remaining baggage. It goes without saying that everybody was expected to walk.

It was a great relief when, on January 31st, all that was needed for the move was safely collected. On the same day the safe packing of the recovered mural paintings was completed and their convoy was ready to start for the long journey westwards (Fig. 127). But what cheered me most was the prospect of soon reaching that forbidding waterless desert where I should feel myself completely protected from any risk of human interference, and where fascinating problems, both antiquarian and geographical, held out the promise of ample reward for such difficulties and risks as nature might place in my way.

LIST OF OBJECTS FOUND OR EXCAVATED AT RUINS OF MIRĀN SITE

M. III–VI. 01-9. Nine frs. of pottery; coarse red un- of black lacquer over sides and lid, with pattern in yellow
glazed. 01 and 05 of red clay, burnt black, full of white and grey now hardly distinguishable.
grit; 02 covered with thin slip. All sand-eroded. Average Pattern on lid seems to consist of six-pointed star or
thickness ¼″, gr. fr. 3½″×3⅛″, smallest 2″×1¼″. flower radiating from apex, each point ending in palmette
with central semi-oviform pistil. Between points, and also
M. IV. 01-2. Two long oviform glass pendants (found radiating from apex, six oblong labels in yellow outline,
embedded in masonry); opaque, solid, cobalt tinted. barred transversely with the same colour, and reaching
Sides ribbed vertically. Ball-shaped heads, drilled for half-way down sides of cone. On sides of box, top and
thread, broken. General form recalls the Greek oviform bottom, thin annular lines in white and black, with festoon
miniature vases of gold used as pendants on necklets. (?) band between. Part of side, and of lid, lost. Diam.
Colouring matter prob. copper oxide. Surface oxydized 4″, gr. h. 2″. Pl. XXI.
to pale turquoise tint. Exposed parts abraded and
colourless. For similar pendant, see Ser. iv. Pl. XXIX, M. XIV. 04-6. Three frs. of wooden relief carving;
N. XXIX. 005. Length (01) 1⅛″, (02) 1⅟₁₆″, gr. diam. ¼″. oblong, slightly convex laterally; broken at lower ends;
Pl. XXIV. upper ends (of 05, 06) intact, rounded. Carved in form
of round-headed five-leaved plume or palmette, having
M. V. 01. Wooden boss in form of truncated cone, with half-elliptical centre and bound below by two transverse
slightly raised centre on upper surface. Pierced through bands, with band of nail-head orn. between. 06 covered
axis with iron pin. May have been lotus-pedestal, or with remains of white priming and pink paint; 04 broken
(reversed) attachment for pendant. For similar bosses off short above bands. Backs of all worm-eaten. Length
from same ruin, see Ser. i. p. 546, M. v. 009-10; iv. (05 and 06) 3″, width 2″, thickness c. ¼″. Pl. XXI.
Pl. XLVII, M. v. 006. Diam. of base 4″, of top 2⅔″, of
raised centre 1¼″, h. 1⅛″. Pl. XXVII. M. XIV. 07-9. Three frs. of wooden relief carving;
07 and 09 (joining) show part of carved band, slightly
M. XIV. 01. Stucco relief fr., rounded, prob. from Buddha warped with return piece along one long edge; other
fig. Surface gilded, but sand-encrusted. Mud backing. long edge broken; 08 prob. from return, uncarved.
5⅛″×3⅛″×(gr. thickness) 1⅛″. Pattern of carved face; a simple sq. meander made
M. XIV. 02-3. Turned wooden box, with lid (box 02, of line of nail-head orn. between two plain mouldings,
lid 03). Plain, circular; lid slightly conical; top edge with large sq. four-petalled rosettes filling hollows. Remains
of box rebated to take lid, closely fitting. Remains