Die westlichste Kharoṣṭhī-Inschrift – ein Elfenbeingriff aus Wels

Mit einem Anhang zu fernöstlichen Funden des 1. bis 2. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. im Römischen Reich

Abstract

The Westernmost Kharoṣṭhī Inscription – an Ivory Handle from Wels. With an Appendix on Far Eastern Finds of the 1^st to 2^nd Century AD in the Roman Empire
The ivory handle together with a silver collar from town of Wels dates to the 2^nd century AD. Along the handle’s axis runs double an incised Kharoṣṭhī inscription to be read from right to left. The translation is: »This handgraver is a present from the King«, and is at present the westernmost known example of this Indian script. The male bust on the handle’s terminal shows the king’s portrait. The tool did not reach the West through trade, its owner brought it on a journey along the Silk Road from modern-day China.