Inscribed bamboo slips

From Wiki China org cn

On October 9, 1985, more than 23,000 inscribed bamboo slips of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), were unearthed in Hexi Corridor, China. About 450,000 characters were on the slips.

Hexi Corridor was an important area along the ancient Silk Road. During the Western Han Dynasty (207 BC - AD 25), military and political activities were held frequently, thus producing numerous such inscribed slips. At the end of the East Han Dynasty (25- 220), such activities ceased and the slips were buried in the desert. In the early 1930s, more than 10,000 slips were unearthed, attracting much attention worldwide.

Due to the dry environment in which they were buried, these bamboo slips are well preserved and still legible. They provide an accurate record of history from 99 BC to AD 111, covering military affairs, politics, economics and social life.