Daoism · Texts & transmission
Mawangdui yields early silk copies of the Laozi
1973 CE
Excavation at Mawangdui near Changsha revealed two silk manuscripts of the Laozi among a varied collection of early Han writings. Their wording and arrangement offered new evidence for the text’s transmission. The find spot is distinct from the museum where the manuscripts are preserved.
Why it matters
Archaeology allows comparison between early material witnesses and later received versions, changing the questions scholars can ask about the history of the text.
About the date
Excavation year; the manuscripts were already present in a tomb sealed in 168 BCE.
Changsha / Mawangdui
Excavation locality, not the later museum collection.
city orientation
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