The Diamond Sutra is a 16-foot scroll of Buddhist texts dealing with the practice of non-abidance. A dated colophon is included, making it the first known block-printed text to carry an explicit date.

Translated, the date of printing was May 11, 868 but that isn't the most fascinating part of the colophon. It reads...
Reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 15th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong.
which makes the Diamond Sutra the oldest copyright-free work as well. Should you be at the British Museum in London (a long way from the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas in Turkestan, along the Silk Road, where it was discovered) and also be an aficionado of Science 2.0, the open publication parts anyway, it has to be worth a look for that reason alone.


Link: Wired

H/T Neatorama