The list of Khitan inscriptions comprises a list of the corpus of known inscriptions written in the Khitan large script and the Khitan small script. These two scripts were used by the Khitan people in northern China during the 10th through 12th centuries for writing the extinct Khitan language. The Khitan language was in use during the Liao dynasty (916–1125), the Western Liao dynasty (1124–1218) and the Jin dynasty (1115–1234), but the last recorded Khitan speaker, Yelü Chucai, died in 1244, and the language probably became extinct soon afterwards.
There are no surviving examples of printed texts in the Khitan language, and aside from five example Khitan large characters with Chinese glosses in the Yuan and Ming-era Tao Zongyi's 1376 Important Matters in the History of Calligraphy, there are no Chinese glossaries or dictionaries of Khitan. The Khitan language is therefore little understood, and the two Khitan writing systems are only partially deciphered.
The main source of Khitan texts are monumental inscriptions, mostly comprising memorial tablets buried in the tombs of Khitan nobility. Only one monument in a Khitan script was known before the 20th century, the Record of the Journey of the Younger Brother of the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty (Langjun xingji 郎君行記), which is engraved on the 'wordless stele' for Empress Wu Zetian which stands at the Qianling Mausoleum. Until the 1920s it was believed to be written in the Jurchen script. Only after the discovery of the memorial tablets of the Emperor Xingzong of Liao and his consort was it realized that the Record of the Younger Brother of the Emperor and the Liao-dynasty memorial tablets were both written in a Khitan script. Several more memorial tablets in the same script were discovered during the 1930s, including memorials for the Emperor Daozong of Liao and his consort. Initially it was not clear whether the script inscribed on these memorial tablets was the Khitan large script, recorded to have been devised in 920, or the Khitan small script, recorded to have been devised about 925. A different, unknown script, which appeared more similar to Chinese (incorporating many characters borrowed directly from Chinese), had been discovered on a temple monument in 1935, as well as on a memorial to Xiao Xiaozhong in 1951; and in 1962 Jin Guangping suggested that these two monuments were written using the Khitan large script, and that the Record of the Younger Brother of the Emperor and the imperial memorial tablets were written using the Khitan small script. This identification of the two Khitan scripts is now widely accepted.
There are about 15 known monuments with inscriptions in the Khitan large script, ranging in date from 986 to 1176, and about 40 known monuments with inscriptions in the Khitan small script, ranging in date from 1053 to 1171. The two scripts are mutually exclusive (never occurring together on the same monument), but it is not known why the Khitan people used two different scripts, or what determined the choice of which script to use.
In addition to monumental inscriptions, short inscriptions in both Khitan scripts have also been found on tomb murals and rock paintings, and on various portable artefacts such as mirrors, amulets, paiza (tablets of authority given to officials and envoys), and special non-circulation coins. A number of bronze official seals with the seal face inscribed in the Khitan large script are also known. The Khitan characters on these seals are engraved in a convoluted calligraphic style that imitates the Chinese nine-fold seal script style of calligraphy.
Monumental inscriptions in the Khitan large script
Monument Image Date Place of discovery Year of discovery Current Location Description Commemoration of a battle victory by Hutenu (Yelü Zhaosan 耶律趙三) 1084 Salbar Mountains, Mörön, Khentii ProvinceMongolia In situ 4 lines, 25 characters. Inscribed sarcophagus Gengzhangzi Village, Jianchang CountyLiaoning 1977 Jianchang County Museum 8 lines, 19 characters (badly damaged as the sarcophagus was cut into three pieces). Memorial at Jing'an Temple (靜安寺) erected by the Lady of Lanling Commandery (蘭陵郡夫人), the wife of Yelü Changyun 1072 Ruins of Jing'an Temple, Ningcheng CountyInner Mongolia 1935 Liao Zhongjing Museum 40 lines, 70 characters (very worn, and almost illegible). Epitaph for Lady Xiao Chen'ge (蕭陳哥別胥) 1056 ChifengInner Mongolia Unknown 27 lines, 1,056 characters. Epitaph for Court Attendant Dorlipun 多羅里本郎君 (1037–1080) 1081 Tsogt Mountain, Guriban Hushu Gacha, Ar Horqin BannerInner Mongolia 1999 Ar Horqin Banner Museum 21 lines, 800 characters.: "" [Excavation site: The southern foot of Chaoketu Mountain (the family cemetery of Yelü Yuzhi), which is 1.5 km northwest of the new town of Guribanhushu Gacha, Hanmiao Sum, Ar Horqin Banner, Inner Mongolia.] Epitaph for Court Attendant Li Ai 李爱郎君 1176 Unknown (only known from a rubbing) Unknown 16 lines, 470 characters. Epitaph for the Grand Preceptor (太師) 1056 Unknown (only known from a rubbing) Unknown 40 lines, 1,800 characters. Epitaph for the Grand Prince of the North 北大王 (Yelü Wanxin 耶律萬辛, 972–1041) 1041 Kundu Township, Ar Horqin BannerInner Mongolia 1975 Ar Horqin Banner Museum 27 lines, 783 characters. Epitaph for the Princess of Yongning Commandery 永寧郡公主 (1033–1091) 1092 Wangjiagou Village, Bairin Left BannerInner Mongolia 2000 Liao Shangjing Museum 36 lines, 1,486 characters. Epitaph for Xiao Paolu 蕭袍魯 (1018–1089) 1090 Qianshan Village, Faku CountyLiaoning 1965 Liaoning Provincial Museum 15 lines, 323 characters. Epitaph for Xiao Xiaozhong 蕭孝忠 (d.1089) 1089 Xigu Mountain, Huludao, Liaoning 1951 Liaoning Provincial Museum 18 lines, 540 characters. Epitaph for Yelü Changyun 耶律昌允 (1000–1061) 1062 Ta Mountain, Yuanbaoshan DistrictInner Mongolia 2000 Chifeng City Yuanbaoshan District Office of Cultural Relics 30 lines, 878 characters. Epitaph for Yelü Qi 耶律褀 or Yelü Asi 耶律阿思 (1033–1108) 1108 Tsogt Mountain, Guriban Hushu Gacha, Ar Horqin BannerInner Mongolia 1993 Institute of Cultural and Historical Relics and Archaeology of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region 46 lines, 2,845 characters. Epitaph for Yelü Xinie 耶律習涅 (1063–1114) 1114 Xiaohan Mountain, Bairin Left BannerInner Mongolia 1987 Liao Shangjing Museum 37 lines, 1,608 characters. Epitaph for Yelü Yanning 耶律延寧 (946–985) 986 Baimu Mountain, Chaoyang CountyLiaoning 1964 Liaoning Provincial Museum 19 lines, 271 characters. Stele fragments from the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu of Liao (r. 916–926) Shifangzi Village, Bairin Left BannerInner Mongolia 1966 and later Inner Mongolia Museum and Liao Shangjing Museum Ten fragments of stone slabs engraved with Khitan large script characters. Stele fragments from the ruins of the Liao Superior Capital Shangjing Lindong Township, Bairin Left BannerInner Mongolia 1965 and later Liao Shangjing Museum Four fragments of stone slabs engraved with Khitan large script characters. Monumental stone inscription 1058 Dornogovi ProvinceMongolia 2010 National Museum of Mongolian History, Ulan Bator 7 lines, about 150 characters.
Other inscriptions in the Khitan large script
Object Date Place of discovery Year of discovery Current Location Description Rock inscription Agui Cave, Jarud BannerInner Mongolia 7 Khitan large characters painted on the outside of a cave. Two wooden tablets from a Liao dynasty tomb Daiqin Tala Sumu, Horqin Right Middle BannerInner Mongolia 1999 Two wooden tablets inscribed with inventories. Bronze, silver or gold non-circulation coin Various examples have been found in different locations. Four character Khitan inscription on the obverse, interpreted as meaning tiāncháo wànshùn 天朝萬順 in Chinese Silver non-circulation coin Ruins of the Liao capital Shangjing, Lindong Township, Bairin Left BannerInner Mongolia 1977 Liao Shangjing Museum Four character Khitan inscription (tiāncháo wànshùn 天朝萬順) on the obverse, with an eight character Khitan inscription scratched onto the reverse Bronze mirror White Pagoda in the ruins of Qingzhou City, Bairin Right BannerInner Mongolia 1958 Inner Mongolia Museum Five Khitan characters engraved on along the edge of the mirror Bronze Daoist amulet Acheng DistrictHarbinHeilongjiang Heilongjiang Museum Daoist charm on one side, and 2 lines (18 characters) of Khitan large script on the other. Bronze Daoist amulet Subrag Sumu, Bairin Right BannerInner Mongolia 1982 Bairin Right Banner Museum Daoist charm on one side, and 3 lines (28 characters) of Khitan large script on the other. Silver paiza ChengdeHebei Institute of East Asian History, Kyoto University Chinese inscription (天賜成吉思皇帝聖旨疾 "Bestowed by Heaven, the imperial edict of Emperor Chinggis. Urgent.") on one side, and two Khitan large characters meaning "running horse" (Chinese 走馬) on the back. Metal tag Unknown Unknown Three Khitan large characters. Silver spoon Wangfugou, Jianping CountyLiaoning 1956 Liaoning Province Museum Four Chinese characters (太付太太) followed by five Khitan large characters. Bronze seal 1094 Panshan CountyLiaoning 1986 Panjin Museum Seal face inscription is in Chinese ("Seal of the Prince of Qian" 汧王之印), but the upper surface of the seal has two lines of Khitan large characters that have been interpreted as meaning Yixin Ning Dawang 乙辛寧大王 ("Prince Yixinning") and Liao Da'an Shinian 遼大安十年 (10th year of the Liao dynasty Da'an era").
Khitan large script seals
Object Image Place of discovery Year of discovery Current Location Description Bronze seal Naiman BannerInner Mongolia 1957 Inner Mongolia Museum Five seal script characters. Bronze seal Dongtai Village, Ongniud BannerInner Mongolia 1965 Chifeng Museum Five seal script characters. The inscription on the face of the seal is repeated on the side as a single column of ordinary Khitan characters engraved in outline. Pottery seal Site of the Liao capital Shangjing, Lindong Township, Bairin Left BannerInner Mongolia 1975 Liao Shangjing Museum, Lindong Bronze seal Baiyingou, Bairin Left BannerInner Mongolia 1966 Unknown Bronze seal White Pagoda in the ruins of Qingzhou City, Bairin Right BannerInner Mongolia 1973 Chifeng Museum Bronze seal FengchengLiaoning 1964 Liaoning Province Museum Five seal script characters. Bronze seal Jianchang CountyLiaoning 1980 Liaoning Province Museum Bronze seal Guliyingzi, TaonanJilin 1937 Unknown Bronze seal Unknown Jilin Museum Bronze octagonal seal Unknown Jilin Museum Bronze seal Weichang CountyHebei Inner Mongolia Museum Bronze seal Unknown Tianjin Museum Bronze seal Xayar CountyXinjiang 1952 National Museum of China Bronze seal Ili CountyXinjiang 1958 National Museum of China Bronze seal Unknown National Museum of China Seal script inscription interpreted as meaning "Seal of the Right Vice Commander of the Marshal of the Army" (元帥右都監印). Bronze seal Unknown (impression owned by Luo Fuyi 羅福頤) Unknown Bronze seal Unknown (impression owned by Luo Fuyi 羅福頤) Unknown Bronze seal Xiuyan CountyLiaoning 1980 Xiuyan Museum Inscription dated 1004 on top of the seal. Bronze seal Harqin Left Wing CountyLiaoning 1973 Harqin Left Wing County Museum Five seal script characters.
Monumental inscriptions in the Khitan small script