Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Law, Contracts, and Administration
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Texts
Letter to the Li-sing-je of Sha-cu — PT 1003A ninth-century letter from a Tibetan official to the Chinese military commander at Dunhuang, discussing trade goods, debts, and silk shipments across the Silk Road.Phug Wen's PetitionA personal petition from a Chinese-named official under the Tibetan Empire — requesting a donkey, grain provisions, and permission to travel. Nine lines of Old Tibetan bureaucracy at the human level: the petitioner clarifies he is not actually sick, he just needs supplies and transport. Pelliot tibétain 1092. First freely available English translation from Old Tibetan.The Animal Dispute of Sha-sha — PT 1084A complete court case from Dunhuang under Tibetan rule, recording a livestock ownership dispute with testimony, cross-examination, summons, oath-proceedings, and vermilion seals.The Barley LoanA Silk Road grain loan contract from the Dunhuang cave library — four khal of barley borrowed between districts, with a penalty clause doubling the debt for late repayment. Seven lines of Old Tibetan commercial law showing how the Tibetan Empire regulated everyday credit. Pelliot tibétain 1088 (document 2). First freely available English translation from Old Tibetan.The Confiscation Report of Rma-bzher — PT 2204cA Tibetan Imperial administrative report from the Dunhuang caves documenting the confiscation and redistribution of grain provisions seized from rebels in the Sha-cu (Dunhuang) region.The Cow Dispute of Rngng-shi'u — PT 1088.1An assembly court document from Dunhuang under Tibetan rule, recording a debt case involving livestock between two districts with military commanders presiding.The Dog-Bite LawAn Old Tibetan legal code from the Tubo Empire specifying penalties for fatal dog attacks, organized by social rank.The Grain Loan of Hva-dze-dze — PT 1297.1A Dunhuang-era grain loan contract in which a Chinese farmer borrows eight sheg of barley from a Buddhist monastery, with double penalty for default and seizure of all property.The Grain Loan of Lha-legs — PT 1088.2A grain loan contract from Dunhuang under Tibetan rule, recording a four-khal barley loan between two Chinese families with double-repayment penalty and oath-seal.The House Sale of Dar-pa — PT 1086A property sale document from Dunhuang under Tibetan rule, recording the purchase of a house between two Chinese families with grain payment and named witnesses.The Khagan's Letter — PT 1082A diplomatic letter from He-pur Khagan to a Tibetan official at Dunhuang, discussing military orders, palace construction at Ganzhou, a disputed goldsmith, and the exchange of gifts across the Silk Road.The Law of TheftAn Old Tibetan legal code from the Tubo Empire specifying penalties for theft, organized by the value of stolen goods, the type of property, and social rank.The Letter of Phug-wen — PT 1092A private letter from Meng Phug-wen to friends and colleagues at Dunhuang, requesting a donkey for relay service, reporting a poor grain harvest, and asking for provisions — a rare personal document from the Tibetan imperial period.The Marriage Decree of Sha-cu — PT 1083A sealed decree from the Tibetan Great Minister protecting Chinese subjects at Dunhuang from forced servitude and granting them marriage rights within the myriarchy.The Messenger Contract of Eng-tse — PT 1098A corvee substitution contract from Dunhuang recording how Li G.yu-legs was absent from relay messenger duty and 'Bu Eng-tse was hired in his place, with payment terms in barley, millet, and cloth, guarantors, and ten vermilion seals.The Orchard Decree of Lhan-kar — PT 1085A decree from Lhan-kar Palace ordering the protection of Chinese farmers' orchards at Dunhuang from seizure by Tibetan overseers.The Ox SaleA Silk Road ox sale contract from the Dunhuang cave library — a black ox with rough horns and piebald belly changes hands between an 'A-zha seller and a Chinese buyer, with warranty clause, guarantor, five witnesses, and six vermilion seals. A window into everyday commerce under the Tibetan Empire. Pelliot tibétain 1095. First freely available English translation from Old Tibetan.The Ox Sale of Nu-ku-spong — PT 1095An ox sale contract from Dunhuang under Tibetan rule, recording a cross-ethnic transaction between a Tuyuhun seller and a Chinese buyer with physical description, ownership guarantee, and six vermilion seals.The Ox Transaction of the Rat Year — PT 1094An ox sale contract from Dunhuang recording the purchase of a mottled red ox for three dmar-srang, with ownership guarantees, resale penalties, witnesses, and four vermilion seals — presided over by three Tibetan councillors.The Paper Debt and the Land Case of Stong-sar — PT 1078Two administrative documents from Dunhuang: a debt enforcement contract over two hundred yug-lengths of paper, and a full-scale land dispute between Chinese families under Tibetan rule — with field surveys, village elder testimony, and a binding judgment that splits twenty-year-contested orchards between the parties.The Precedence Decree of Shazhou — PT 1089The complete bureaucratic hierarchy of the Tibetan Empire's Shazhou (Dunhuang) garrison — forty official positions ranked from regiment commander to deliberator, with three precedence disputes between Tibetan, Chinese, Tuyuhun, and Nepalese officials resolved by councils of great ministers. First English translation of the most comprehensive administrative document in the Dunhuang Tibetan corpus.The Serf Assignment of Shan-shan — PT 1087A serf assignment document from Dunhuang under Tibetan rule, recording twelve named bonded persons assigned to military-administrative service with guarantors and finger-measure seals.The Shazhou Tribute Levy — PT 1120A tribute assessment from Dunhuang fixing gold, cloth, dye, and paper levies for Tibetan households under Chinese chiliarchy administration, with a draft letter from the Lord of Shazhou on the verso.The Stolen Horse of Btsan-zigs-tshan — PT 1096A detailed stolen horse case from Dunhuang under Tibetan rule, recording multiple testimonies, summons, sureties, and a final decree before elder officials, with a postscript recording a separate artisan commission.The Tiger Year CasebookSeven judicial opinions from the Tibetan Imperial Palace interpreting the Tiger Year decree — property restoration, marriage law, debt conversion, wife-abduction, service property, monastic rights, and military conscription. First English translation from Old Tibetan.