Prods Oktor Skjærvø, An Account Tablet from
Eighth-Century Khotan
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Complete Text.
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The text published here is written on a wooden board of unknown exact
provenance,
but most likely from the general area of Dandan Öiliq in Khotan,
and
the script and language indicate it is from the 8th century. Wood was
often
used for record-keeping in ancient Xinjiang, and this particular board
contains
a record of grain delivered and received over a period of about one
year.
Of special interest are the words for baker and bakery, which were
hitherto
unknown in Khotanese. The reference to the prince’s baker is also
remarkable.
The Chinese religious title shangzuo, Elder, known from a
Chinese document from Dandan Öiliq, is found here for the first
time in a Khotanese text, written shadzau.
