TheSilkManuscriptsfromZidanku,Changsha(Hunan),aretheonlypre-ImperialChinesemanuscriptsonsilkfoundto-date.Datingtotheturnfromthe4thtothe3rdcenturiesBC(LateWarringStatesperiod),theycontainseveraltextsconcerningbasiccosmologicalconcepts,includingonemanuscript(Manuscript1)withadiagrammaticarrangementandsurroundedbypictorialillustrations.Assuch,theyconstituteauniquesourceofinformationcomplementingandgoingbeyondwhatisknownfromtransmittedtexts.
Thisisthefirstinatwo-volumemonographontheZidankumanuscripts,reflectingalmostfourdecadesofresearchbyProfessorLiLingofPekingUniversity.WhilethephilologicalstudyandtranslationofthemanuscripttextsisthesubjectofVolumeTwo,thisfirstvolumepresentsthearchaeologicalcontextandhistoryoftransmissionofthephysicalmanuscripts.Itrecordshowtheyweretakenfromtheiroriginalplaceofintermentinthe1940sandtakentotheUnitedStatesin1946;documentstheearlystagesintheresearchonthefindsfromtheZidankutombanditsre-excavationinthe1970s;andaccountsforwherethemanuscriptswerekeptbeforebecomingtheproperty,respectively,oftheArthurM.SacklerFoundation,NewYork(Manuscript1),andtheFreerandSacklerGalleries,SmithsonianInstitution(Manuscripts2and3).Supersedingpreviousefforts,thisisthedefinitiveaccountthatwillsetstherecordstraightandestablishesanewbasisforfutureresearchontheseuniquelyimportantartifacts.
