THE WORLD'S OLDEST SURVIVING PAPER MANUSCRIPTS.

The article presents information on the conservation of archaeological paper. The author discusses a 1902 excavation by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin in the Gobi desert of Central Asia that resulted in the discovery of Chinese paper manuscripts dated from the 2nd century A.D. and a 1907 excavation by British officer Sir Aurel Stein of a Buddhist monastery library in a rock cave in Dunhuang, China, that included the discovery of well-preserved silk scrolls, paper scrolls, and manuscripts.