Paper Analyses of Tocharian manuscripts of the Pelliot Collection stored in the National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

Abstract

This paper describes the preliminary results of my PhD research within the ERC pro­ject “HisTochText”. The aim is to perform macroscopic analyses of archaeological papers from the Pelliot Collection. They are stored in the National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France). Most were discovered in the oasis kingdom of Kucha, inscribed in an ancient Indian writing, brāhmῑ. The language was unknown in France. Kucha was a meeting place for many influences both western and eastern, insofar as paper analysis seeks to determine technological influences and local adaptations. Macroscopic analyses rely on traces found in the material of the paper which may be the result of the many stages in the life of the document: the raw material, the manufacturing process, the conditions of use and the storage conditions, both ancient and modern. To this day 350 fragments have been observed. Little is known about papermaking in Central Asia. As a consequence, every shred of information must be examined in order to deter­mine the differences from and similarities to paper manufacturing in Xinjiang.