This edict is dated to the fifth year of the Yuankang era of the Han period, that is, 61 B.C. Based on a system of monthly ritual observances, it orders the whole empire relight household fires, changing the type of firewood, before and during the summer solstice in that year. Attached at the end is the consecutive record of units copying and forwarding the order from the capital to the frontier region. Since the connecting strings have long since decomposed, the single strips had to be identified and put into correct sequence by Ōba Osamu, Japanese scholar.
English Audio Guide
- Item No.
- 10.31,10.29,10.32,10.30,10.33,332.26等
- Period
- 61 B.C.
- Dimensions
- Length 23.4-24.1 cm, width 1.5-1.8 cm.
- Excavated/Findspot
- A33 Ulan-durbeljin, Edsen-gol, Inner Mongolia
- Materials
- Wood
- Notes
- Significant Antiquity
