Stele of Genghis Khan
| Stele of Genghis Khan | |
|---|---|
| Чингисийн чулууны бичиг ᠴᠢᠩᠭᠢᠰ ᠤᠨ ᠴᠢᠯᠠᠭᠤᠨ ᠤ ᠪᠢᠴᠢᠭ | |
Mongolian Script | |
| Created | c. 1224-1225 |
| Discovered by | Grigory Spassky |
| Present location | Hermitage Museum |
| Culture | Mongol Empire |
The Stele of Genghis Khan (
It is important for containing the first known inscription in
History
According to the inscription, the stele commemorates an event that occurred in the settlement of Buqa Sočiγai, whose location is unknown. It was found, however, near Khirkhira in the Transbaikal region, which according to the Jami' al-tawarikh, was part of the Ulus of Qasar.[5]
Rediscovery
The first message about a stone with an inscription carved with "oriental inscriptions" was left by Russian historian and explorer Grigory Spassky in the journal Sibirskii Vestnik (Siberian Bulletin) in 1818. Later it turned out that the stone was discovered in 1802, not far from the remains of a settlement known as Khirkhira. Khirkhira was located on a low terrace above the flood-plain, close to the mouth of the Khirkhira River, which, through the Urulyunguy River, was a tributary of the Argun River.[6]
Local interpreters were able to read the initial two words of the inscription, "Genghis Khan", which led to it being named the "Stele of Genghis Khan". The stele was for a time kept in the "Natural History" room at the mining school of Nerchinsky Zavod. Between 1829 and 1832, along with a load of gold, it was transported to Saint Petersburg,[6] during which period it was accidentally broken in the middle.[7]
Once in Saint Petersburg, it was first transferred to the Ministry of Finance and then to the Academy of Sciences and embedded in the wall in the entrance hall of the Asiatic Museum. In 1936, it was transferred to the Hermitage, to this day occupying a central place in the permanent exhibition of the Mongolian Art Hall in the third floor of the museum.
Copies
Copies of the stele exist in various museums, including the National Museum of Mongolia in Mongolia and the Inner Mongolia Museum in Inner Mongolia.
A
Inscription
The text of the stele consists of 5 lines - the first line, containing the name Genghis Khan is elevated as a sign of respect, as is the fourth line that contains the name of his nephew Yisüngge (but lower than the first).[7] The scribe's writing style is also uncommon, as they write a few distinct letters with the same forms, such as ᠭ(γ) and ᠬ(q), making the stele somewhat difficult to read.
According to Igor de Rachewiltz (2010), the inscription reads (with letters in parentheses being unclear):
| Traditional Mongolian script | Transcription | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| ᠴᠢᠩᠭᠢᠰ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠢ ᠰᠠᠷᠲᠠᠭᠣᠯ ᠢᠷᠭᠡ ᠳᠠᠣᠯᠢᠵᠦ ᠪᠠᠭᠣᠵᠣ ᠬᠠᠮᠦᠬ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠣᠯᠣᠰ ᠣᠨ ᠨᠣᠶᠠᠳ ᠢ ᠪᠣᠬᠠ ᠰᠣᠴᠢᠭᠠᠢ ᠬᠣᠷᠢᠭᠰᠠᠨ ᠳᠣᠷ ᠶᠢᠰᠦᠩᠭᠡ ᠣᠵᠣᠨᠣᠳᠦᠷ ᠣᠨ ᠬᠣᠷᠪᠠᠨ ᠵᠠᠭᠣᠳ ᠭᠣᠴᠢᠨ ᠲᠠᠪᠣᠨ ᠠᠯᠳᠠᠰ ᠲᠣᠷ ᠣᠨᠳᠣᠣᠵᠯᠠᠭ ᠠ |
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As the ald is a unit of measure equal to the length between someone's outstretched arms, approximating 160 cm = one ald results in 335 ald being equal to ~536 m.[8]
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Replica in the Inner Mongolia Museum, Hohhot -
Text of the stele
References
- ^ "Чингисийн чулууны бичиг". Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- ^ "Зал искусства Монголии". Archived from the original on 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ a b "Эрмитаж подарил Монголии копию Чингисова камня - Культура - ТАСС". 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- ISBN 978-1-135-79690-7.: 38–39
- . Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- ^ a b "Чингисов камень". Энциклопедия Забайкалья. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- ^ OCLC 707926722.
- ^ Dr Gongor LHAGVASUREN (2019-12-06). "WHAT IS THE SCRIPT ON THE CHINGGIS KHAN'S STELE ABOUT? A monument to top athletic performance? A Monument to the Uigarjin Mongolian script?". ATARN Home Page. Retrieved 2021-12-05.