试论回鹘文契约的前后期之分

A Discussion on the Division of Earlier and Later Phases of Contractual Documents in Uighur Scripts

现存已发现的300余件回鹘文契约,中外学术界大多认为是公元13~14世纪蒙元时期,从契约的具体内容及其历史背景考察,可分辨出时代早晚,从而做出前、后期的区分。前期以“官布”或“棉布”若干个为单位;后期以“中统宝钞”若干锭或金银若干两为单位。前期行用高昌、柳中等唐五县为行政地域界定,后期则无。对买卖土地四至,前期契十分严格,后期契则可有可无。对悔约问题,前期契无悔约受罚条款,后期则须“悔约罚贡”。这些均显示出前期契具有9~12世纪西州回鹘王国时期的特点,后期契属13~14世纪蒙元统治高昌回鹘时期的契约。

Chinese and foreign academic circles mostly hold that more than 300 existing Uighur contracts are from Yuan Dynasty in the 13th-14 th centuries. But if analyzed on the basis of their contents and historical background,they could be divided into the early and late times. Take the price as an example,in the early times,the unit was 'Guanbu'or 'Mianbu',but in the late 'Zhongtongbaosha',gold or silver were used as the unit. Concerning the regional system,the early administrative region includes the five counties,such as Gaochang and Liuzhong,but without such reference in the late times. Concerning default,the former contracts required no punishment,yet the latter required defaulting punishment. All these demonstrate that the early contracts have the characteristics of the independent Uighur kingdom in the 9th-12 th centuries and the late contracts have the characteristics of Xizhou governed by Yuan Dynasty in the 13th-14 th centuries.