(file from David Derrick files)
Posted on 08/13/2006 3:58:00 PM PDT by blam
New Evidence Suggests Longer Paper Making History in China
A 2,000-year-old piece of paper inscribed with legible handwriting has been found in Gansu Province, suggesting that China's paper-making and handwriting history are older than previously thought.
The 10 square centimeter piece of paper, made from linen fibers, was found during restoration of an ancient garrison near the Yumen Pass at Dunhuang in northwest China. The garrison was in use during the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-25 A.D.), a report in the Beijing-based Guangming Daily said.
"The paper was made in 8 B.C., more than 100 years before the birth of Cai Lun who is widely considered the inventor of paper-making in China. It also shows that the ancient Chinese have been writing on paper for much longer than we thought," said Fu Licheng, curator of the Dunhuang Museum.
Cai Lun successfully made paper out of tree bark, cloth, and fishing nets in 105 A.D.
Experts say so far over 20 ancient Chinese characters on the paper have been identified, and that the piece of paper was likely part of a letter.
(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2006)
Previous to this discovery, the oldest paper ever found was found in this region and had Tocharian written on it. (I don't know what it was dated)
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Paper was first made by observing the paper wasps, so the story goes. Other materials than wood pulp would produce other products such as vellum, parchment or papyrus. Papyrus may be the origin of the word paper, but paper refers to pulp.
Astonishing that paper would last so long.
I have observed, in my own library, the survival of books printed on non-acidic paper that are more than 200 years old, and the rotting from within of newer magazines and books printed on acidic paper.
Some day, what will be known of our own culture, as acidic paper and magnetic media vanish?
A few years ago, I saw an article about someone plundering around in an old garbage dump somewhere in arizona. They showed a perfectly readeable newspaper from 1952 that was in the dump.
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(file from David Derrick files)
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