É. Apor (ed.): Jubilee Volume of the Oriental Collection, 1951–1976. Papers Presented on the Occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Oriental Collection of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

J. HARMATTA: Sir Aurel Stein and the Date of the Sogdian "Ancient Letters"

81 1st epoch 98 В. С. -34 В. С. T.IV 94 B.C. T. V 39 B.C. T.VI.b 68 B.C. - 34 В. C. Т.ХП1 56 B.C. T.XIV 96 B.C. - 45 B.C. T. XV. a. Ill 61 B.C. - 53 B.C. T.XVII 58 B.C. T. XVIII 52 B.C. T. XXII. с 98 B.C. Intermediate epoch 34 B.C. - 1 A.D. T. XXIII. с 17 B.C.( ?) 2nd epoch 1 A.D. - 205 A. D. T. VIII 8-9 A.D. T.XI 153 A.D. Т.ХП.а 1 A.D. 20-21 A.I Т.ХП1 5 A.D. T.XIV 4 A.D. 19 A.D. T.XIV. a 87 A.D. T. XV. a. II 15 A.D. - 56 A.D. T.XV.a.I 67 A.D. - 137 A. D, T.XVI 68 A.D. - 77 A.D. T.XXII.b 12 A.D. - 35 A.D. T. XXII. d 47 A.D. - 115 A. D, T.XXII.f 13 A.D. - 205 A. D, T. XXIII. 1 92 A.D. т. xxvn 35 A.D. - 61 A.D. т. xxvni 75 A.D. Defective though this evidence may be, it clearly proves that the history of the Tun-huang Limes consists of two epochs: one beginning with the creation of the Limes and lasting up to the thirties of the 1st century B.C.

, the other comprising practically the whole of the 1st and Und centuries A.D. It would appear that the military occupation of the Limes was not quite the same in these two epochs . In the first half of the 1st century B.C. greater importance was ascribed to the westernmost section of the Limes where, between the watch-towers T.IV.a and T.IV.b, a fortified camp as a bridge-head for western expeditions was established and at watch-tower T.VI.b a great military administrative centre existed. About the thirties of the 1st century B.C., however, the westernmost