Volume 1, Issue 2 (9-2025)
J Dialect Res 2025, 1(2): 0-0 |
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heidarpour A. (2025). Linguistic and Cultural Analysis of a Letter from a Sogdian Lady Living in China. J Dialect Res. 1(2),
URL: http://jdr.richt.ir/article-13-2055-en.html
URL: http://jdr.richt.ir/article-13-2055-en.html
Member of the Faculty of Cultural Heritage Research Institute , azadehheidarpour@yahoo.com
Abstract: (6 Views)
Works from the Sogdian languages have survived in the Early times. The surviving Sogdian works from the Middle period fall into two categories: religious and non-religious works. The Sogdian letters, which are considered to be the most important historical documents of Sogdian language, are among the non-religious works. The Sogdians, who were a mercantile people, engaged in extensive trade with India and China during the Sassanid period, which led to the survival of these letters in the Sogdian script and language. These letters comprise a set of nine Sogdian letters, of which five are nearly complete and four are incomplete. These letters were discovered in 1907 by the British archaeologist named Sir Aurel Stein in the ruins of a watchtower on the Great Wall of China. There is disagreement among linguists about the dating of these letters, but Sims Williams and his colleagues estimate the date of these letters to be around 313-314 AD based on convincing arguments and through historical events and materials written in the text of the letters. The ancient Sogdian letters are among the oldest written works in the Sogdian language and also among the oldest works written on paper. These letters provide researchers with extremely important information about the ancient history of the Sogdians, their migration to Central Asia and their dispersion along the Silk Road, as well as the historical events of the migrant cities. Two of these letters were written by a Sogdian migrant woman named Miunai, who was stranded in Dunhuang (Tunhuang) during a time of war and famine in China; letters numbered one and three belong to this Sogdian woman and are addressed to her mother and husband, respectively. In this article, the first of these two letters is examined. In addition to the linguistic analysis and translation of the Sogdian text of the letter, the present study also explores its content, particularly the information it provides about the cultural status of Sogdian women and the personal problems faced by a Sogdian woman. These issues are examined from historical, political, and social perspectives.
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Ancient poems
Received: 2025/06/11 | Accepted: 2025/08/22 | Published: 2025/09/22
Received: 2025/06/11 | Accepted: 2025/08/22 | Published: 2025/09/22
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