M·A·斯坦因(1862～1943)是一个为我国考古学界以及历史学界所熟知的英国籍考古学者。关于他这个人,在我国历来是贬大于褒,尤其他在本世纪初在我国西北地区尼雅、楼兰以及敦煌等处拿走大量珍贵的历史文物,从而作为“文物盗窃者”恶名昭著。但是,客观地说,斯坦因又的确是一名学者,特别是由于他在中亚、南亚等地区进行了长年不懈的考古调查和发掘,其业绩在世界考古学界中享有极高的声誉。他的许多著作至今被奉为经典,作为研究的第一手资料,即便是在我国西北地区的考古学、历史学和民族学的研究中,斯坦因的调查发掘成果也是 MJ Stein (1862-1943) is a British archeologist well-known to the archeology and history of our country. As for him, he has always been derogatory and overvalued in our country. In particular, he took a large amount of precious historical relics in the early part of this century in places like Niya, Loulan and Dunhuang in the northwest of China so that he was notoriously a “relicator of cultural relics.” However, objectively speaking, Stein is indeed a scholar, especially because of his unrelenting archaeological investigations and discoveries in Central Asia and South Asia. His achievements have enjoyed a high reputation among the world’s archaeologists. Many of his writings have so far been regarded as classics, as a first-hand source of research, even in the study of archeology, history and ethnology in the northwestern region of China, Stein’s findings are also