National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0153 |
On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
the ruined building. Beyond a small room which seemed to
have served as an antechamber for attendants, there ad-
joined a large apartment. It was a room twenty-six feet
square with a raised platform of plaster running round
three of its sides, very much as in the 'Aiwan' or hall of any
modern Turkistan house of some pretension. Remains of
eight posts placed in a square indicated a central area over
which a raised roof had been arranged to admit light and
air just as in large modern houses. Elsewhere, too, the dis-
position and construction of the ancient dwellings with
which I soon became so familiar at this site showed a strik-
ing similarity to the domestic arrangements still prevailing
in the present oases.
Time and the erosive force of the winds had left little
more of the timber-and-wattle walls than broken posts, and
the protecting layer of sand was only about two feet deep.
All the more delighted was I to find that even this had
sufficed to preserve in a more or less legible condition the
three score of tablets that were found covering the plat-
form along the southern side of the hall. In some places they
were rising in small closely packed heaps, evidently just as
left by the last occupants. But a considerable number of other
wooden documents showed plainly by their position that
they had been disturbed, apparently not long after the
building had been deserted. Thus some were found resting
on a large piece of strongly woven matting which must have
formed part of a roof over the central area. Others turned
up near a small open fire-place found beneath the fallen
matting. They owed their excellent preservation obviously
to this safe covering.
The great number of the wooden documents and the
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
13
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
23
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
33
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
45
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
57
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
68
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
79
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
89
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
100
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
111
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
122
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
134
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
145
.
.
.
.
151
152
153
154
155
157
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
168
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
178
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
189
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
200
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
212
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
225
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
237
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
248
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
259
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
273
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
284
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
295
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
306
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
317
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
327
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
337
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
352
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
364
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
377
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
391
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
406
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
418
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
431
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
442
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
453
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
466
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
477
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
491
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
502
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
513
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
525
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
537
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
550
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
561
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
571
.
.
.
.
|
578
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
