engraving - From China

Engraving
The earliest finished engraved print found to date is a single-page version of the Dharani Sutra, printed on linen paper, published between 650 and 670, and unearthed in a Tang dynasty tomb near Xi'an in 1974.[15] In 1966, archaeologists in Korea discovered a miniature Dharani Sutra containing the text of the Tang dynasty empress Wu Zetian (c. 690-705). [In 1966, archaeologists in Korea discovered a miniature Dharani Sutra containing the Zetian script issued by the Tang empress Wu Zetian (c. 690-705). Scholars have concluded that the sutra was made no earlier than 704 and was later treasured in a stupa built in 751 during the Unified Silla period. However, the earliest known printed book of average size to be published is the Diamond Sutra, which was issued during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The sutra is 5.18 meters (17 feet) long in scroll format and dates back to April 15 (i.e., 868) of the 9th lunar year of Emperor Yi Zong Xian Tong of the Tang Dynasty. The accounts of scholars Joseph Lee and Tsien Tsuen-hsuin indicate that the calligraphic engraving of the Vajra Sutra was far more advanced and sophisticated than the earlier printed single-page Dharani Sutra. In addition, the two oldest printed lunar calendars, dated 877 and 882, were found at Dunhuang, a Buddhist holy site at the time; scholar Patricia Ebrey writes that the discovery of some of the earliest prints as calendars was not unexpected, as Chinese ancestors found it necessary to calculate and mark which days were auspicious or unlucky.