Documents

A few documents in Middle Chorasmian are known, discovered by Soviet excavations in various parts of ancient Chorasmia.

Ruins of the fortress at Toprak-Kala (Source: Wikimedia)

Toprak-Kala, a well-known and large palace complex in south-eastern Chorasmia, seemingly abandoned after about 300 CE, yielded the largest quantity of Chorasmian documents, both on wood and leather, during Soviet excavations between the 1940s and 1960s. A few bear dates in the early 200s of the Chorasmian era—probably converting to the 2nd century CE. One of the most unique results was the discovery of hundreds of impressions of (completely deteriorated) leather documents on clay surfaces. Most are undecipherable, but some are quite clear. The texts include household lists, receipts, and tally sticks. The texts from Toprak-Kala were all published by Livshits (1984), but have not been revisited since then.

Toprak-Kala Document (Inventory ТК 1949, room 89, no. 1). Source: Livshits 1984.

Finally, the fort known as Yakke Parsan, excavated by the Soviets in the 1950s, yielded at least two fragments, one on leather and one on wood. Thus far unpublished.