Andrew West 魏安 (@babelstone.co.uk) Andrew West 魏安 (@babelstone.co.uk)
Marble slip engraved with the Chinese text "津而飲馬神", excavated from a site in Beijing tentatively identified as part of the Dajue Temple (大覺寺) that was established in the Jin dynasty Central Capital (中都) during the Dading 大定 era (1161–1189). kaogu.cssn.cn/zwb/xccz/202...
Andrew West 魏安 (@babelstone.co.uk)
This is one of four marble slips engraved with Chinese text which were unearthed between 2019 and 2022 during excavations at the Guangyuanli site (光源里遺址) in Beijing. These slips would have formed part of a so-called 'jade book' 玉册.
Andrew West 魏安 (@babelstone.co.uk)
The interesting thing is that the writing engraved on these four fragments (博施濟衆謂之, 津而飲馬神, 取五, 幾) derives from the same text entitled 部擬御服如來儀省改奏便服 which is among documents from the 5th year of the Huangtong 皇統 era (1145) preserved in vol. 3 of Collected Rites of the Great Jin (Dajin Jili 大金集禮).
Andrew West 魏安 (@babelstone.co.uk)
The observant among you might have noticed that there are actually five fragments of marble slips. The smallest fragment is the most interesting, as it appears to be engraved in Jurchen script. I provide a very preliminary discussion of this piece on my blog at www.babelstone.co.uk/Blog/2023/01...
Chinese | Jurchen | Khitan | Ogham | Phags-pa | Runic | Tangut | Tibetan
Books | Personal | Publications