Spitzer_Manuscript | TriviaQuestions.online

⭐ In the context of palm-leaf manuscripts, the Spitzer Manuscript is considered…

The Spitzer Manuscript, found in the Kizil Caves of China, is a collection of fragments dated to the 2nd century CE and written in Buddhist hybrid Sanskrit, making it a significantly early example of palm leaf usage for Buddhist texts.

⭐ Core Definition: Spitzer Manuscript

The Spitzer Manuscript is the oldest surviving philosophical manuscript in Sanskrit, and possibly the oldest discovered Sanskritic manuscript of any type related to Hinduism and Buddhism. The manuscript was found in 1906 in the form of a pile of more than 1,000 palm leaf fragments in the Ming-oi, Kizil Caves, China, during the third Turfan expedition headed by Albert Grünwedel. It is named after Moritz Spitzer, whose team first studied it in 1927–28.

The calibrated age by Carbon-14 technique is 130 CE (80–230 CE). According to Indologist Eli Franco, palaeographical features suggest a date closer to 200–230 CE. The text is written in the Brahmi script (Kushana period) and some early Gupta script.

↓ Menu

👉 Spitzer Manuscript in the context of Palm-leaf manuscript

Palm-leaf manuscripts are manuscripts made out of dried palm leaves. Palm leaves were used as writing material in the Indian subcontinent, dating back to as early as the 5th century BCE. Their use began in India and spread to other regions, such as Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, in the form of dried and smoke-treated Palmyra or talipot palm leaves.Their use continued until the 19th century when the printing press replaced hand-written manuscripts.

One of the oldest surviving complete palm leaf manuscripts is a Sanskrit Shaivism text from the 9th century, discovered in Nepal, and now preserved at the Cambridge University Library. The Spitzer Manuscript is a collection of palm leaf fragments found in Kizil Caves, China. They are dated to around the 2nd century CE and is in Buddhist hybrid Sanskrit.

↓ Explore More Topics