The residues of their many conversations appear in the earliest surviving written documents.
The earliest surviving written records are from the next dynasty, the Zhou (1046 256 bce).
Earlier surviving written works (on stone or paper) are mostly official documents; and no oral epics were written down until the late 1880s.
But the lack of surviving written records suggests he would most likely have turned to the popular songs his audiences would have known.
The earliest surviving written materials in Catalan a charter and six sermons date from the 12th century, with poetry flourishing from the 13th century; before the 13th century, Catalan poets wrote in Provençal.
This is not as straightforward as it might sound, for some examples predate surviving written records, while others depart from standard representations in the myths and legends from which they are derived.
To look for the surviving written records dealing with that specific earthquake's time and area is not much different from a trip back in time.
'And yet still, we know little about the Nabataeans.' With no surviving written sources, Petra's built environment provides academics' most valuable resource.
The key piece of surviving written evidence is a letter Anne wrote sometime in 1514.
In spite of the literary finish of the surviving written versions, the tale remains one to be told orally.
