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

Buddhistic objects in our collection, with the exception of the stupa ornament Pl.
29: 6 from Lou-lan. Similarly shaped scoops, though probably larger, are known
inter alia from the Scythian royal tomb of Solokha in South Russia (about 300
B. C.) Ebert's Reallexikon 12, Pl. 85 a.

Some of the small bronze fragments come from vessels, but only one is from the
rim of a basin (K. 13382) Fig. 35: 11, which can be compared with one of
Hedin's old finds from the region immediately to the north of the present delta
(Hedin 1905, p. 64).

There are several small perforated discs of lead, which have probably served as
net sinkers, Pl. 30: 19 and 31: 3. They are well-known from earlier collections from
Lop-nor. A larger piece is shown on Pl. 29: 17.

Stone objects, etc.

The whetstones are more or less rectangular and have usually a suspension hole at
one end; at least such small specimens as Pl. 29: 16 and 19 and Pl. 31: 11 have been
carried at the girdle.

Spindle whorls are quite common, as already stated, and made of stone, pot-
sherds or bitumen, Pl. 29: 3 and 31: 4. From the graves we know of wooden ones.

A flat ring of white marble, Pl. 29: 10, is of the type Pi, the Chinese symbol of
heaven. This type existed in China proper as early as in late neolithic times, but this
specimen is more likely from the Lou-lan period when Chinese influence was strong
in this region. It is strongly worn by sand on one side, and the outer rim has been
ground off on about one half of the circumference so that the diam. varies from
84 to 81 mm. The rim of the hole is also worn mostly on the half opposite to the
worn portion of the outer rim. The ring must thus have been lying exposed to
pretty constant winds for a considerable time.

Another marble object is the cylindrical bead Pl. 29: 11. Similar beads were found
in the Sha-kou-t'un cave (Andersson 1923, Pl. VIII: 13). There is thus a possibility
that our bead dates from prehistoric time. The two fragmentary mace-heads Pl.
29: 9 and 12 have already been treated.

Pottery.

Among the stray finds there are only few potsherds, not that they are uncom-
mon in the field — on the contrary — but as they are often plain and undecorated
they have not been collected so eagerly as stone and metal objects.

Most if not all of the Lou-lan pottery was manufactured locally. Both Stein
and Hörner have found pottery kilns.

The ware is hard-burnt and of dark-brown, red and greyish colour. The most
common shape is the bulky jar. The rim is more or less strongly moulded (cf. Fig.

169