ON bIdg?cIr IN THE 3RD LINE OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE SINE-USU INSCRIPTION

Abstract

The Sine-Usu Inscription is the most voluminous one with 50 lines among the Uyghur inscriptions. Like Tes (750) and Tariat (752-753) inscriptions, the Sine-Usu Inscription also was erected in 759 in honor of Moyun Cor, the second qaghan of the Uyghur Qaghanate (r. 747-759). It is still on the spot in two pieces. Most parts of the Sine-Usu Inscription are now well understood. However, the south and west sides are heavily damaged and there are many illegible and/or incomprehensible words and sentences in these sides. One of them is the letter group ricwgdib  bIdgẄcIr in the 3rd line on the south side. The sentences containing this letter group have been differently interpreted by the researchers. All of the readings hitherto are problematic. The author would like to regard the letter group ricwgdib  bIdgẄcIr as a spelling error for ricwgidb  bdIgẄcIr and suggests to read it as abdiguci ar ‘soldier who recruits/drafts soldier’ ( t[im. ar k]alti “On the 15th (of the month) …… we (lit. I) gathered at the Lake of Tayγan. I sent the recruiting soldiers from there. [The soldiers] came”.