A collaborative project between international linguists and AI researchers has successfully decoded a series of 6th-century Kuchean-Sanskrit palimpsests found in the Tarim Basin. Using multispectral imaging and neural network analysis, the team revealed hidden layers of text containing lost Buddhist treatises on Dignaga’s system of logic, which were thought to have been lost during the collapse of the Silk Road monasteries.
The research, published in the Journal of Asian Civilizations, shows how Sanskrit functioned as a lingua franca for scientific and philosophical exchange across Central Asia. These texts bridge the gap between Indian logic and East Asian interpretations, providing the first direct evidence of how specific epistemological terms were translated and adapted across diverse linguistic landscapes.