Аннотация:The Sogdian “Ancient Letters”, no doubt one of the most important of Sir Aurel Steins many finds, have been attributed to the middle of the second century of our era, on the strength of archaeological evidence ( Serindia , ii, 671 sqq.). Their editor, H. Reichelt, expressed a mild doubt ( Die Soghdischen Handschriftenreste des Britischen Museums , ii, p. 6), and so did Pelliot in his review of Reichelts edition ( Toung Pao, xxviii, 1931, 457–463). If the date originally proposed by Sir Aurel Stein (between A.D. 105 and 137, or in 153) could be substantiated, the Letters, which are on paper, would have to be regarded as the oldest paper documents in existence.
