Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HisTochText (History of the Tocharian Texts of the Pelliot Collection)
Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2023-03-31
1) Material description of the manuscripts of the fonds Pelliot Sanskrit and fonds Pelliot Koutchéen of the BnF
2) Cataloging of the manuscripts of the fonds Pelliot Sanskrit (~ 3000) and fonds Pelliot Koutchéen (~ 2000) of the BnF
3) Decipherment of unpublished manuscripts in Buddhist Sanskrit and Tocharian (A & B) languages
These issues are interconnected, because most of these Sanskrit and Tocharian manuscripts have been found in Buddhist shrines located in the region of Kucha, in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China. The expected results of the multidisciplinary investigations can be combined in order to draw a picture of the Buddhist literature and its spread in the region of Kucha, where the texts have been copied during centuries, mainly from 4th to 11th century CE. This research contributes to the understanding of the Buddhist literacy in a region of Central Asia which was at the crossroads of India in the broad sense, i.e. Indo-Iranian cultural and linguistic world, and of China.
The spread of Buddhism, as religious movement and doctrine having originated in India around 5th century BCE, to Central Asia and China during the first centuries CE, is an important phenomenon from the historical and cultural point of view, having far-reaching consequences for the history of Asia. There happened a wide transfer of Indian culture in literature, medicine, techniques, sciences, art, architecture, etc., to Central Asia and then to China. The penetration of Buddhism in this region of Central Asia, in broad terms between Kashgar (Xinjiang province, China) and Dunhuang (Gansu province, China), involved during the 1st millennium CE the exchanges of cultural and technical experiences of various people: Buddhist monks coming from the North-West of the Indian world, so-called Gandhāra area, Iranians (Sogdians, Saka), which had been converted to Buddhism before the turn of CE, and local populations, to wit Chinese and so-called “Tocharians”.
The latter people, who spoke languages (Tocharian A & B) of Indo-European descent, were illiterate before the contact with Buddhism and Indian culture. Only the literate elite was bilingual with some knowledge of Sanskrit, or of Sanskrit mixed with Middle Indic (Prâkrit).
A fact which is at the heart of the project is the use by the copyists of Buddhist texts — translated or adapted from Sanskrit — of paper leaves, as replacing palm and birch-bark leaves, the paper being a Chinese invention older by several centuries. The huge demand of copies of Buddhist texts for religious purposes presupposes the development of a local paper industry, which probably developed its own practices, with some peculiarities differing from traditions of paper-making in China and neighboring regions, e.g. Himālaya and Tibet.
These historical facts would contribute to a global view of this region which has been for centuries a place of cultural and material exchanges, along the ancient routes of the so-called Silk Road. The ongoing research will then some impact on the understanding of cultural adaptations and transfers on the long run.
2) Cataloging of the manuscripts of the fonds Pelliot Sanskrit (~ 3000) and fonds Pelliot Koutchéen (~ 2000) of the BnF
3) Decipherment of unpublished manuscripts in Buddhist Sanskrit and Tocharian (A & B) languages
These issues are interconnected, because most of these Sanskrit and Tocharian manuscripts have been found in Buddhist shrines located in the region of Kucha, in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China. The expected results of the multidisciplinary investigations can be combined in order to draw a picture of the Buddhist literature and its spread in the region of Kucha, where the texts have been copied during centuries, mainly from 4th to 11th century CE. This research contributes to the understanding of the Buddhist literacy in a region of Central Asia which was at the crossroads of India in the broad sense, i.e. Indo-Iranian cultural and linguistic world, and of China.
The spread of Buddhism, as religious movement and doctrine having originated in India around 5th century BCE, to Central Asia and China during the first centuries CE, is an important phenomenon from the historical and cultural point of view, having far-reaching consequences for the history of Asia. There happened a wide transfer of Indian culture in literature, medicine, techniques, sciences, art, architecture, etc., to Central Asia and then to China. The penetration of Buddhism in this region of Central Asia, in broad terms between Kashgar (Xinjiang province, China) and Dunhuang (Gansu province, China), involved during the 1st millennium CE the exchanges of cultural and technical experiences of various people: Buddhist monks coming from the North-West of the Indian world, so-called Gandhāra area, Iranians (Sogdians, Saka), which had been converted to Buddhism before the turn of CE, and local populations, to wit Chinese and so-called “Tocharians”.
The latter people, who spoke languages (Tocharian A & B) of Indo-European descent, were illiterate before the contact with Buddhism and Indian culture. Only the literate elite was bilingual with some knowledge of Sanskrit, or of Sanskrit mixed with Middle Indic (Prâkrit).
A fact which is at the heart of the project is the use by the copyists of Buddhist texts — translated or adapted from Sanskrit — of paper leaves, as replacing palm and birch-bark leaves, the paper being a Chinese invention older by several centuries. The huge demand of copies of Buddhist texts for religious purposes presupposes the development of a local paper industry, which probably developed its own practices, with some peculiarities differing from traditions of paper-making in China and neighboring regions, e.g. Himālaya and Tibet.
These historical facts would contribute to a global view of this region which has been for centuries a place of cultural and material exchanges, along the ancient routes of the so-called Silk Road. The ongoing research will then some impact on the understanding of cultural adaptations and transfers on the long run.
1. Study of the materiality of the manuscripts, written in Sanskrit and in Tocharian, on the basis of a sample of around 300 items, selected according to different criteria: content (religious vs. secular), relative chronology, finding place, type of material (paper, wood, for the most part), type of manuscript presentation (pustaka leaves, scrolls, separate sheets, wooden tablets of different sizes, etc.), paleography, different writing instruments.
1.A. Investigation in situ of the manuscripts by non-invasive techniques. Targets: paper, coating and ink(s), pigments of some manuscripts. Tools: multispectral imaging techniques (VIS, IR, IRFC, UVR, UVFC, TLVIS, False color PCA composite images), spectroscopic techniques (XRF, FORS, FTIR, Raman). This has led to the identification of chemical components, especially calcium (pointing to the presence of gypsum on the surface), carbon, proteins. It has proved possible to distinguish 3 groups of documents and to cross-check these data with the parameters defined above. The observations have included data about the conservation state of the manuscripts, and have supported the reconstitution of fragmented documents.
1.B. Description of the material aspects of the manuscripts, done in situ by macroscopic observations under different lights (natural, law-angle, transmitted, polarized, etc.) with the joint expertise of specialists of the history of paper. It has been possible to state different qualities and types of papers, probably connected with different techniques of paper-making. The same sample of manuscripts was submitted to observations in situ with the help of a high-level digital microscope, allowing a preliminary identification of the components of the material used for paper leaves: fibers, reused textiles (rags), and of the wood material used for tablets. These data can also be confronted with the herbarium of MNHN, Paris.
2. Cataloging of manuscripts: common template designed for the description of the manuscripts of both collections.
3. Decipherment of unpublished manuscripts and revision of previous editions. This dimension has much benefited from the significant progresses in the readability of dozens of manuscripts, with the help of the imaging techniques used.
4. Meetings in Vienna with the CEToM project team. HisTochText will pursue the publication of the Tocharian manuscripts of the BnF on the CEToM database.
5. Workshop “Material culture in Central Asia. Buddhist manuscripts and paintings around Kucha (6th-8th centuries)”, Paris, Feb. 2020.
1.A. Investigation in situ of the manuscripts by non-invasive techniques. Targets: paper, coating and ink(s), pigments of some manuscripts. Tools: multispectral imaging techniques (VIS, IR, IRFC, UVR, UVFC, TLVIS, False color PCA composite images), spectroscopic techniques (XRF, FORS, FTIR, Raman). This has led to the identification of chemical components, especially calcium (pointing to the presence of gypsum on the surface), carbon, proteins. It has proved possible to distinguish 3 groups of documents and to cross-check these data with the parameters defined above. The observations have included data about the conservation state of the manuscripts, and have supported the reconstitution of fragmented documents.
1.B. Description of the material aspects of the manuscripts, done in situ by macroscopic observations under different lights (natural, law-angle, transmitted, polarized, etc.) with the joint expertise of specialists of the history of paper. It has been possible to state different qualities and types of papers, probably connected with different techniques of paper-making. The same sample of manuscripts was submitted to observations in situ with the help of a high-level digital microscope, allowing a preliminary identification of the components of the material used for paper leaves: fibers, reused textiles (rags), and of the wood material used for tablets. These data can also be confronted with the herbarium of MNHN, Paris.
2. Cataloging of manuscripts: common template designed for the description of the manuscripts of both collections.
3. Decipherment of unpublished manuscripts and revision of previous editions. This dimension has much benefited from the significant progresses in the readability of dozens of manuscripts, with the help of the imaging techniques used.
4. Meetings in Vienna with the CEToM project team. HisTochText will pursue the publication of the Tocharian manuscripts of the BnF on the CEToM database.
5. Workshop “Material culture in Central Asia. Buddhist manuscripts and paintings around Kucha (6th-8th centuries)”, Paris, Feb. 2020.
1. Significant advances in the comprehensive survey of the manuscript culture of the Buddhist monasteries of the region of Kucha.
2. Understanding the local tradition of paper-making and copying of manuscripts of different types (religious, profane, medical), by definitive identification of the fibers, through analysis of samples with microscope, and by investigating the composition of the ink. These data will provide the basis for addressing the issue of a local written tradition, and of the relative importance of the Chinese models, by comparison with possible Indian or “Western” models.
3. Publication of the text of the Tocharian A unique manuscript PK NS 1-6, which belongs to the Indian and Central Asian tradition of magic and omen literature. It has already been proved that this manuscript was of the same type as the famous “Bower manuscript”, written in Sanskrit and found in the region of Kucha, dated 5th/6th century CE. Other manuscripts which are still difficult to read will be studied in depth for being scientifically published.
4. Progress in the reading of unpublished wooden tablets in Kharoshthî script, the language of which is still unknown: Prâkrit, Tocharian, another language?
5. Preparation of the catalogues of the 2 Pelliot collections of the BnF, to be published on the site “Archives et manuscrits”.
6. Revision of the edition of the Tocharian manuscripts to be published on the CEToM database.
7. Advances in the study of paleography of the Tarim Brâhmî script, which proves important for ascertaining the relative chronology of the manuscripts.
8. Elaboration of further databases of comparative Buddhist literature, covering phraseology and narratology, which are relevant for the understanding of Tocharian texts.
The website has been constructed and installed.
2. Understanding the local tradition of paper-making and copying of manuscripts of different types (religious, profane, medical), by definitive identification of the fibers, through analysis of samples with microscope, and by investigating the composition of the ink. These data will provide the basis for addressing the issue of a local written tradition, and of the relative importance of the Chinese models, by comparison with possible Indian or “Western” models.
3. Publication of the text of the Tocharian A unique manuscript PK NS 1-6, which belongs to the Indian and Central Asian tradition of magic and omen literature. It has already been proved that this manuscript was of the same type as the famous “Bower manuscript”, written in Sanskrit and found in the region of Kucha, dated 5th/6th century CE. Other manuscripts which are still difficult to read will be studied in depth for being scientifically published.
4. Progress in the reading of unpublished wooden tablets in Kharoshthî script, the language of which is still unknown: Prâkrit, Tocharian, another language?
5. Preparation of the catalogues of the 2 Pelliot collections of the BnF, to be published on the site “Archives et manuscrits”.
6. Revision of the edition of the Tocharian manuscripts to be published on the CEToM database.
7. Advances in the study of paleography of the Tarim Brâhmî script, which proves important for ascertaining the relative chronology of the manuscripts.
8. Elaboration of further databases of comparative Buddhist literature, covering phraseology and narratology, which are relevant for the understanding of Tocharian texts.
The website has been constructed and installed.