Priority and Exclusiveness : Russians and Germans at the Northern Silk Road (Materials from the Turfan-Akten)

Abstract

The collaboration between Russian and German scholars in the archaeological exploration of the Northern Silk Road yielded enormous results, which crucially changed the field of Oriental Studies in the beginning of the 20th century. This bilateral collaboration was part of a larger international endeavour to explore the unique monuments of Eastern Turkestan. Scholars of all leading nations – including British, French and Japanese – sent their expeditions into the oases of Chinese Turkestan to document and collect archaeological objects and manuscripts. However – partially due to the political circumstances during this period, partially due to personal and academic rivalry – the collaboration between Russians and Germans was not entirely free from misunderstandings and conflicts. In particular, a disputed agreement about the definition of “ areas of interest ” gave rise to a long-lasting controversy, which even today is not completely settled among the scholars involved in the study of Silk Road materials. The article introduces and discusses some new documents from the so-called “ Berliner Turfan-Akten ” and thus tries to make a contribution to the on-going discussion about this matter.