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

Political
conditions
disturbed
about close
of third cen-
tury A.D.

cussion that the close of the third century A.D. marks exactly that period when, during the
internal troubles in the Empire which followed the death of the Emperor Wu ti, Chinese
political control over 'the Western regions' ceased or was greatly reduced in effectiveness.⁹⁰ In
fact during the early part of the fourth century direct contact between the Empire and the Tārim
Basin was broken by the establishment in the westernmost part of Kan-su of what practically
represented an independent local dynasty.

There is no direct historical evidence as to the effect which this prolonged withdrawal of
Chinese control exercised upon the economic conditions prevailing in the various small states
between Lop-nör and the Pāmirs. Still less are we able to judge from the available records to what
extent, if any, that withdrawal itself was brought about by economic causes, due, as Prof. Huntington
would have us assume, to climatic change at that period. But it seems safe to suppose, in view of
all we know of the peculiarly unstable character of cultivation in the Tārim Basin, that such a great
political change would be reflected also by a reduction of economic prosperity. And it is certainly
noteworthy, as our subsequent investigations show, that at the sites of Endere, Mirān, and north
of Lop-nör, ruins are likewise encountered, indicating abandonment of once cultivated oases about
the same period or a little later. Whether this abandonment was brought about by contemporary
physical causes or was due, partly at least, to a state of weakness in the human factors, resulting from
this political change, we have no means at present to decide.

SECTION VI.—LIST OF ANTIQUES EXCAVATED AT NIYA SITE

OBJECTS FOUND AT RUIN N. V

N. v. xv. 001. Frs. of ordinary buff felt, including sole
of shoe, with piece of light buff fabric and handful of
natural wool.

N. v. xv. 002. Strip of leather with stitch-marks along
the edges; tanned. 3³⁄₈″ × 1¹⁄₈″.

N. v. xv. 003. Tanned leather strip of irregular shape.
6⁵⁄₈″ × 1³⁄₁₆″.

N. v. xv. 004. Piece of 'green' leather scale armour
(see Anc. Khotan, p. 411), rectang. one corner broken off.
Two holes bored in each of others, parallel to long side;
in one, piece of thong. In middle of one short side, hole
cut (¹⁄₁₆″ × ³⁄₁₆″), ²⁄₁₆″ from edge. 3¹⁄₈″ × 2″ × ³⁄₁₆″.

N. v. xv. 005. Piece of 'green' leather scale armour
(see Anc. Khotan, p. 411), rectang. Holes in corners, as
in N. v. xv. 004. Towards middle of one short side, rect-
angular piece cut out. Hard and curled up. 2⁵⁄₈″ × 1²⁄₈″ ×
¹⁄₁₆″ to ³⁄₈″.

N. v. xv. 006. Fr. of 'green' leather scale armour.
Hard and curled up as N. v. xv. 005. 1⁵⁄₁₆″ × 1¹⁄₈″ × c. ¹⁄₁₆″.

N. v. xv. 007. Small strip of wood. Longitudinal
section curved. Broken at one end where was a saw-cut.
At the other end wedge-shaped. Small hole near point.
3³⁄₈″ × ¹⁄₈″ × ¹⁄₁₆″.

N. v. xv. 008. Flat strip of wood, broken at one end;

other end sq. and bevelled. Broken down one side.
3¹⁄₈″ × 1¹⁄₄″ × ¹⁄₈″.

N. v. xv. 009. Wooden seal-case. One side broken
away. Hole (¹⁄₁₆″ diam.) through bottom. Three string
grooves. 1³⁄₈″ × 1³⁄₈″ × 1¹⁄₁₆″.

N. v. xv. 0010. Wooden seal-case, like N. v. xv. 009.
Rounded sides. 1⁵⁄₈″ × 1³⁄₁₆″ × 1″.

N. v. xv. 0011. Piece of 'green' leather scale armour
(see Anc. Khotan, p. 411), rectang. In middle of each
long side three holes are cut parallel to edge, with frs. of
thong remaining in them. In middle of one short side
hole cut (¹⁄₈″ diam.), ¹⁄₁₆″ from edge. 2⁵⁄₁₆″ × 1⁵⁄₈″ × ³⁄₁₆″.

N. v. xvi. 001. Wooden block carved into form of
Buddhist Stūpa. The circular form of orig. block is re-
tained as a base. This form becomes sq. at a height of
1¹⁄₄″ up, the transition from round to sq. being by four
chamfers. Sq. portion is 2³⁄₈″ diam. and 2³⁄₈″ high, each
face having a sunk surface of ¹⁄₁₆″ raised border reserved
on three sides, the lowest being cut away. Each of these
sunk panels bears traces of an attenuated quatrefoil in
painted outline, placed diagonally. Prob. rough sketch as
guide for carving, but never carried further. Above square
rises a circular drum (1¹⁄₈″ high × a″ diam.), surmounted by
stilted semi-circular dome of same diam. and 1⁵⁄₈″ high.
Dividing drum from dome is a narrow keel moulding.
A hole is drilled through centre vertically. Much cracked.