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The Bactrian language is an extinct Eastern Iranian language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria. Linguistically, it is classified as belonging to the middle period of the Northeastern Iranian branch.<br/><br/> Because Bactrian was written predominantly with the Greek alphabet, Bactrian is sometimes referred to as 'Greco-Bactrian', 'Kushan' or 'Kushano-Bactrian'.<br/><br/> More than a hundred Bactrian documents, written in cursive script on leather, cloth or wood were discovered in the last decade of the 20th c. Before that the corpus of Bactrian was effectively limited to a single inscription from Surkh Kotal and the short legends on coins and seals. Almost all other texts were either illegible, incomprehensible, or both.
The Hephthalites (or Ephthalites), also known as the White Huns, were a nomadic confederation in Central Asia during the late antiquity period. The Hephthalite Empire, at the height of its power (in the first half of the 6th century), was located in the territories of present-day Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, India and China.<br/><br/> The Bactrian language is an extinct Eastern Iranian language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria. Linguistically, it is classified as belonging to the middle period of the Northeastern Iranian branch.<br/><br/> Because Bactrian was written predominantly with the Greek alphabet, Bactrian is sometimes referred to as 'Greco-Bactrian', 'Kushan' or 'Kushano-Bactrian'.<br/><br/> More than a hundred Bactrian documents, written in cursive script on leather, cloth or wood were discovered in the last decade of the 20th c. Before that the corpus of Bactrian was effectively limited to a single inscription from Surkh Kotal and the short legends on coins and seals. Almost all other texts were either illegible, incomprehensible, or both.
Cursive script (simplified Chinese: 草书; traditional Chinese: 草書; pinyin: cǎoshū) is a style of Chinese calligraphy. Cursive script is faster to write than other styles, but difficult to read for those unfamiliar with it. It functions primarily as a kind of shorthand script or calligraphic style.<br/><br/> Cursive script originated in China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE) through the Jin Dynasty period (266 - 420 CE), in two phases. First, an early form of cursive developed as a cursory way to write the popular and not yet mature clerical script. Faster ways to write characters developed through four mechanisms: omitting part of a graph, merging strokes together, replacing portions with abbreviated forms (such as one stroke to replace four dots), or modifying stroke styles.
Cursive script (simplified Chinese: 草书; traditional Chinese: 草書; pinyin: cǎoshū) is a style of Chinese calligraphy. Cursive script is faster to write than other styles, but difficult to read for those unfamiliar with it. It functions primarily as a kind of shorthand script or calligraphic style.<br/><br/> Cursive script originated in China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE) through the Jin Dynasty period (266 - 420 CE), in two phases. First, an early form of cursive developed as a cursory way to write the popular and not yet mature clerical script. Faster ways to write characters developed through four mechanisms: omitting part of a graph, merging strokes together, replacing portions with abbreviated forms (such as one stroke to replace four dots), or modifying stroke styles.
As the originator of Wild Cursive Style, and a nonconformist in spirit, Zhang Shui acted altogether against calligraphic convention, earning the nickname 'Crazy Zhang'. While intoxicated, he was inspired and would proceed to create his wonderful cursive calligraphy in front of the dignitaries. Tang Emperor Wenzong (r.809-840) regarded Zhang Shui's cursive script together with Lee Bai's poem and Pei Ming's sword playing as the 'three exquisite talents of the Tang Dynasty'.