List of ancient Chinese manuscripts

This page lists discoveries of ancient Chinese manuscripts. The timeframe is Eastern Zhou dynasty to Eastern Han dynasty. The focus is on bamboo and silk manuscripts. The table complements the Manuscript Database by the University of Heidelberg, which currently covers discoveries to 2015 (the table supplies discoveries that predate 2015 and that are not listed in the database). It aims to provide an overview and references to an Anglophone audience of major discoveries in the last 10 years.

Table listing discoveries of ancient Chinese manuscripts

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Excavation year (begins) Name Period Materiality of Written Artifacts # Content Report Year of publication Notes
2019 胡家草場漢簡 Han Wu Di bamboo strips 4642 calendars; medicine; legal texts; daybooks; registers 荆州博物館:《湖北荆州市胡家草場墓地M12發出簡報》,《考古》2020年第2期,3—20 2020 The corpus also includes 4 wooden tablets. The content includes records of events that took place during the Qin dynasty.[1]
2019 龍會河 Chu State, Warring States bamboo strips 324 military; writings
2012 高龙东汉墓 Emperor Ling of Han 漢靈帝 steles 2 文物 2023.08 2023
2012 山西太原 complex Han Dynasties wall inscription 1 文物 2015.12 2015
2009 严仓 1 号 Chu State, Warring States bamboo strips 650 divination; prayers 文物 2021.04 2021 Texts are dated between 307-299 BCE.
1992 老河口安崗竹簡M1, M2 Late Warring States bamboo strips 21 tomb inventory 《湖北老河口安崗楚墓竹簡概述》,《文物》2017.7 2017 Strips are very damaged.[2]
2019 Wangjiazui 王家嘴 Chu State, Warring States bamboo strips 3,200 “Guo feng” 國風 section of the Book of Odes;[3] *Confucius said 孔子曰;[4] The final text is an annotation of what appears to be a music score. Jingzhou boquguan 荊州博物館. “湖北荊州王家嘴798號楚墓地法掘簡報” 江汉考古 2, no. 185 (2023): 2–14 2023
2020 Zaozhi 棗紙 Chu State, Warring State Bamboo Strips 535 One manuscript is "Words from the Shi and the Shu" 詩書之言, a text that collects citations of texts known to use from the 詩經, 尚書, and 墨子.[5]
2023 Qinjiazui 秦家嘴 Chu State, Warring States bamboo strips 1,500 Introductions to the discovery talks of 5 genres of writings: 1) 六艺類 six arts 2) masters' writings 諸子類 3) writings in the style of ci 辭 and fu 賦 ("rhapsody") 4) writings on numbers and divinations, 术数 5) writings on "Recipes and Methods” 方技[6]

References

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  1. ^ 李志芳 ,蒋鲁敬 (2020). "湖北荆州市胡家草场西汉墓M12 出土简牍概述". 考古. 2: 2–33.
  2. ^ Wang Xianfu, 王先福 (2018). Laohe kou Angang Chumu 老河口安岗楚墓 (Di yi ban ed.). Bei jing: Kexue chubanshe. ISBN 978-7-03-059324-5.
  3. ^ Jiang Lujing 蔣魯敬, and Xiao Yujun 肖玉軍 (2023). ""湖北荊州王家嘴M798出土戰國楚簡《詩經》概述."". Jiang Han Kaogu 江漢考古. 2 (185): 39–42.
  4. ^ Jiang Lujing 蔣魯敬, and Xiao Yujun 肖玉軍. (2023). ""湖北荊州王家嘴M798出土戰國楚簡《孔子曰》概述."". Jiang Han Kaogu 江漢考古. 2 (185): 39–42.
  5. ^ "讲座纪要丨赵晓斌:荆州近年出土简帛杂谈-清华大学出土文献研究与保护中心". www.ctwx.tsinghua.edu.cn. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  6. ^ "跨越千年的历史见证!国家文物局发布《考古中国》重大项目进展-中新网". www.chinanews.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-12-21.