PRESENTATION- TODAY: Newly Discovered Judeo-Persian Letter from the Silk Road

A distribution of: Central-Asia-Harvard-List. The Announcement List for
Central Eurasian Studies at Harvard University

PRESENTATION- TODAY: Newly Discovered Judeo-Persian Letter from the Silk Road

Posted by: Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations <nelc@fas.harvard.edu>

The Harvard GSAS Near East Society and the Harvard Graduate Student
Council present:

A Joint Presentation on the Newly Discovered Judeo-Persian Letter

"The Discovery, Provenance, and Date of the Letter"

Zhang Zhan
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

and

"The Historical Context of the Letter"

Bryan Averbuch
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Wednesday, May 9, 2007, 5:30 to 6:30 P.M.
Semitic Museum, 6 Divinity Avenue, Room 201

Background:

In recent years, a Judeo-Persian letter was discovered in Western
China. Currently in the National Library of China in Beijing, this
unpublished document is thought to be one of the earliest New Persian
texts in existence, and is an invaluable source for the study of
Iranian languages. Written around 800 C.E. by Jewish merchants
trading in Inner Asia, the letter provides us with valuable
information on Jewish, Islamic, Iranian, and Inner Asian history. Our
presentation will begin with a look at the provenance and date of the
letter, as well the relationship between this document and the
Judeo-Persian letter discovered by M. Aurel Stein in Dandan-Uiliq in
1901. The second part of our talk will focus on social and historical
information in the letter. We hope you join us for a glimpse into the
world of Jewish merchants on the Silk Road!

An informal reception, to which all are invited, will be held prior to
the presentations. We hope to see you there!

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