Ruins of desert Cathay : personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China . ocal administration anddaily life, was bound to increase greatly the difficulties ofinterpretation. In order to overcome these difficulties with a goodchance of ultimate success, my philological collaboratorsneeded further materials, and in particular an adequatesupply of complete documents in which the state of preserva-tion should leave no room for uncertainty as to the actuallyinscribed characters. The finds made in the course of myrenewed explorations at this site supply such materials inple
Ruins of desert Cathay : personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China . ocal administration anddaily life, was bound to increase greatly the difficulties ofinterpretation. In order to overcome these difficulties with a goodchance of ultimate success, my philological collaboratorsneeded further materials, and in particular an adequatesupply of complete documents in which the state of preserva-tion should leave no room for uncertainty as to the actuallyinscribed characters. The finds made in the course of myrenewed explorations at this site supply such materials inplenty. But the necessity of first concentrating theirefforts upon the publication of the Kharoshthi recordsalready in hand has so far prevented Professor Rapsonand his fellow-savants from giving any detailed analysis ofthe contents of the documents newly recovered. I musttherefore content myself here with a rapid sketch of themost curious features in the wooden stationery on whichthey are written, and with hints as to what the progress ofelucidation is likely to reveal about their subject 95- CLAY IMPRESSIONS OF INTAGLIO SEALS ON KHAROSHTHI DOCUMENTS FOUND AT NIYA SITE. Scale, two-thirds. 1, 2, 4. Impressions from classical seals showing figures of Pallas Promachos, Hermes, Zeus, and a beardedhead. 3, 5. From Oriental seals showing classical influence. 6. From seal of Chinese commander at Shan-shan,in Chinese lapidary characters. CH. XXIV ANCIENT WOODEN STATIONERY 287 In the case of the wedge-shaped tablets forming solarge a portion of the records brought to light, a seriesof complete double wedges found intact under theiroriginal seal and fastening afford the clearest possibleillustration of the manner in which documents of this classwere used and despatched (Fig. 96). A pair of pieces ofwood, pointed at one end and cut off square at the other,were fitted exactly to match each other. There isevidence that the carpenter engaged in producing thiskind of stationery usually
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1912
