PT 1084 — A Dunhuang Court Case

PT 1084 is a complete court case from the Pelliot tibetain collection of the Bibliotheque nationale de France. Written in Old Tibetan on paper, it records the full proceedings of a livestock ownership dispute between Cang Sha-sha and the herdsman Ho To-to over a companion animal (rogs bu) — likely a ram or billy goat — with a knife-notch on its horn. The case involves testimony, cross-examination, summons of guarantors, oath-proceedings, and authentication by vermilion seals.

The proceedings span from spring to autumn of the Rooster Year, during the Tibetan imperial period at Dunhuang (c. 786-848 CE). The case was heard before elder officials (zhang lon) and judges (zhal ce pa), with a Registrar (ring lugs) and Chief Witness (dpang chen) presiding at the formal hearing. The document preserves the full arc of a Tibetan imperial court case: initial complaint, seizure of the herdsman, testimony from both parties, investigation, summoning of witnesses, scheduling of an oath-hearing, and final judgment with seals.

The personal names are predominantly Chinese rendered in Tibetan script. The case reveals a sophisticated legal system with formal procedures, documentary evidence, rights of testimony, and biometric authentication.

In the spring of the Rooster Year:

Cang Sha-sha's companion animal — a dark, full-grown ram with matted fleece, one head — its markings: a knife-notch cut into the horn. From the Tshor-rnga district, Nam-kha Cha-[---] [---]. Afterward, Sha-sha came to retrieve it, but Khra-cung himself fled. When the animal was identified, it was afterward found in the pasture, among the herd of Li Deng-'do. Sha-sha —

The elder officials and judges Blon Lha-bzang and Blon Stag-bzang Ci-dam and others sent a summons.

On the sixth day of the first autumn month of the Rooster Year, before the Registrar Stag-lo Mang Ka-sa and the Chief Witness Spong-po Nya-gong, and Ding Chin-cin, Cang Lha-spyin, Cang Phan-legs, Jin Hig-tshe, Cang Tshin-dze'u, and others — Deng-'do's herdsman Ho To-to was seized and questioned: "Whose companion animal is this?"

His testimony: "This spring, in the last month, my master Li Deng-'do purchased from Tshor-nga-pa, also called Khra-cung, one companion animal and [---] one, and took them. [Also] one ox of Deng-'do, with a spotted face — Khra-cung [---] and the witness-seal is in my master's possession. This is the seized animal." Thus he spoke.

Sha-sha's testimony: "My companion animal was entrusted to Khra-cung, and I have the witness-seal and the evidence. The actual animal is mine. This Tshor-nga-pa sold it without authority to sell."

He demanded: "Let the trail be traced back to Tshor-nga-pa. Let surety be posted. Let a court date be set before the judges." Thus he spoke.

The Registrar and the Chief Witness convened and heard the case. The herdsman was questioned, and it was established that Sha-sha's companion animal had indeed been entrusted to Khra-cung, and the herdsman confirmed it was purchased from Tshor-nga-pa. But the manner of handling was not satisfactory.

Ho To-to's surety was posted as a bond. His master was summoned, and the guarantor of Tshor-nga-pa was summoned — but neither had arrived. It was then pronounced by the court:

Ho To-to's guarantors — by name: Cang Lha-spyin, Ho Ju-ju, Ho Cu-zhi, and others — posted surety. The date for sworn statements: on the seventh day of the first autumn month of this year, at the judges' court, sworn statements shall be sought and fulfilled.

The actual animal was marked with a permanent seal and given to its rightful owner.

Ho To-to's hand-print, the Registrar, the Chief Witnesses named above, and the guarantors' guarantor-seals were affixed. The guarantors' written signatures were not present — their names are those from the witness-seals.

Immediately, the Registrar wrote the document, stamped it, and Sha-sha's likeness-seal was affixed.

(Two round vermilion seals.)

Colophon

PT 1084 (Pelliot tibetain 1084). Old Tibetan court case from the Dunhuang cave library. Translated from Old Tibetan by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, April 2026. First English translation.

The source text was accessed from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO) database maintained by Osaka University.

Translation notes: "Rogs bu" (companion animal) likely refers to a ram, billy goat, or similar livestock — the knife-notch on the horn (rva la gri 'gram pa btab ste) is a common ownership marking for small livestock. "Smog pu rna ba" (dark, full-grown) and "g.ya g.yos la ral ba" (matted/maned fleece) describe the animal's physical appearance. "Tshor-rnga" and "Tshor-nga-pa" refer to a district and a person from that district. The case reveals a chain of custody: Sha-sha entrusted the animal to Khra-cung, who sold it (without authority) to Li Deng-'do, whose herdsman Ho To-to was found with it. The legal resolution required tracing the chain back, summoning all parties, and scheduling an oath-hearing. "Ring lugs" (Registrar) is the court clerk who records proceedings and manages documentation. "Dpang chen" (Chief Witness) is a senior judicial witness. "'Dra rgya" (likeness-seal) may refer to a portrait-seal or distinctive personal seal. The Chinese names include: Cang (張 Zhang?), Li (李 Li?), Ho (賀 He?), Jin (金 Jin?), Ding (丁 Ding?), Stag-lo Mang Ka-sa (a Tibetan-Chinese mixed name). "Blon" indicates official rank. Several lines contain lacunae where the manuscript is damaged.

This is a Good Works Translation. The English is independently derived from the Old Tibetan source text. No prior English translation was available for consultation.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: PT 1084

Old Tibetan source text from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO) database, Osaka University. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

(1) $ /:/ bya gag lo'i dpyid / cang sha sha'i rogsbo smog pu rna ba [g.]ya g.yos la ral ba gcig / mtshan ma ni /
(2) rva la gri 'gram pa btabste / tshor rnga'i sde / nam kha cha[-] [-]s pa las / slad gyis sha sha len
(3) du mchis pa las / / khra cung dngos kyang bros rogs [-]u / ngo dpyangs par gyur slad gyis
(4) ldam mchis nas rogs bu / li deng 'do'i khyu na m[-] [la m]chi nas / sha sha / / zhang lon
(5) zhal ce pa blon lha bzang dang / blon stag bzang ci [dam] la stsogs pa las / 'phrin byang mnoste
(6) bya gag lo'i ston sla ra ba tshes drug gi nang par ring lugs stag lo mang ka sa dang
(7) dpang chen spong po nya gong da[ng] / ding chin cin dang / / cang lha spyin dang / cang phan legs
(8) dang / jin hig tshe dang / cang tshin dze'u la stsogs pa'i mdun du deng 'do'i pyugs rdzi /
(9) ho to to bzung ste rogs bu 'di su la mchis zhes rmas pa las / kho na'i mchid nas
(10) lan 'di'i dpyid sla tha cungs gyi ngo la / bdagi rjo [b?]o li deng 'dos tshor nga pa dam
(11) khra cung zhes bgyi ba las / rogs bu gchig dang / [---] chig blangste / deng 'do'i
(12) glang sta re myig zhal gchig nam khra [cung] [---] [ca]l nas dpang rgya yang
(13) bdag rjo bo'i lag du mchis / bzung ba 'di lags zhes mchi' / sha sha'i mchid nas
(14) bdagi rogs bu nam khra cung la ltams pa' dpang rgya dang / gtan tshigs kyang mchis
(15) rogs bu dngos kyang bdagi lags pa 'di tshor nga pa yang 'tshong la myi dbang bar bcongs
(16) khungs kya tshor nga pa la phyungs nas gnya stsal ching zhal ce pa la dus gdab du gsol
(17) zhes mchi nas / ring lugs dang dpang chen dbyangste bdus pa' / sha sha'i rogs bu khra cung la
(18) bltams pa yang gyur phyugs rdzi rmas pa las / tsho [rnga] pa la mjal zhes mchi ba dang /
(19) spyar tshul yang myi bzang bas / ho to to gnya khri[-] [-]in du stsol te rjo bo 'gug pa
(20) dang / tshor nga pa'i khungs po 'gug pa la thug m[-] [-]rar nang song cub lasu mchid
(21) shags 'tshol chig par dbyangste bdubs ho to to gnya'i mying rus la / cang lha spyin
(22) dang / ho ju ju dang / ho cu zhi la stsogs pas gnyaste / mchid shags 'tshal ba'i dus /
(23) ni lan 'di'i ston sla ra ba tshes bdun la / zhal che pa'i grar mchid shags 'tshal
(24) zhing mchi bar bgyis / rogs bu dngos ni rtag rgya btab ste / yus bdag la chang du stsal
(25) ho to to'i sug rgya dang / ring lugs dang / dpang chen gong ma rnams dang / gnya bo'i
(26) gnya' rgya btab pa' / gnya bo'i rnams gyi sug yi[g] ni ma mchis / mying rus ni dpang
(27) rgya 'di las / myung ba lags zhes mchis nas / [-]u [---] 'phral du ring lugs gyis
(28) bris te btab ste sha sha'i 'dra rgyas btab [pa]' / / (a round vermilion seal, a round vermilion seal)

Source Colophon

Old Tibetan source text from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO), archives?p=Pt_1084, maintained by Osaka University. The original manuscript is held by the Bibliotheque nationale de France.

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