09-15-2006, 06:18 PM
Ave everyone,
I am going to post an unusual topic, here so bare with me here.
I have always wondered if East Asian cultures in the Roman Empire ever interacted to the point, where there would be merchants and dignitaries living in the others Empire. I have some knowledge of the East -West interaction, which I will post. If anyone has any more information about this subject pleases post.
There were a serious of steps that lead up the ancients’ interaction with the east starting with Alexander in 329 B.C. when he founded the town of Alexandria Eschate in the modern day Khozdent, Tajikistan. For the next three centuries the Greeks stayed in Central Asia, and established the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in Bactria. This kingdom kept pushing westward past Alexandria Eschate with possible contact with the Han dynasty around 200 B.C. This is back up by the writings of the Greek historian Starbo who wrote that “they extended their empire even as far as the Seres (China) and the Phryni".
After this first contact, the Han dynasty developed a growing interest in the west sending dignitaries out ever so often. Most of these dignitaries made contact with Middle East and India, These cultures all ready had trade with the Mediterranean world. Around 1 B.C. the Parthians introduces silk to the Romans. The first dignitaries and traders that might of reached Rome where under the reign of Augustus. The Roman historian Florus documented this encounter "Now that all the races of the west and south were subjugated, and also the races of the north, (...) the Scythians and the Sarmatians sent ambassadors seeking friendship; the Seres too and the Indians, who live immediately beneath the sun, though they brought elephants amongst their gifts as well as precious stones and pearls, regarded their long journey, in the accomplishment of which they had spent four years, as the greatest tribute which they rendered, and indeed their complexion proved that they came from beneath another sky.—(Florus Epitomae II, 34). In this passage the phrase "and the Indians" could refer to the Chinese. I have heard from hearsay that the Romans would refer to all people to the east of India as Indians, However, I can not validate this.
At the same time The Chinese set up a port near modern day Hanoi in Vietnam, this trade route ran from Sir Lanka through India to the ports of Egypt. They have found Roman coins in Vietnam, through this trade route. Then in 161 A.D. Marcus Aurllius set up an envoy to travel to China. They arrived in China in 166 A.D and this is validated by the emperor Huan and the Han dynasty. This envoy went through the southern port through the route listed above.
In the interaction with the Roman Empire and the Han dynasty there are also many other cases of interaction through castaways, soldiers on the frontier becoming captured. And cartographer maps from the period. However this is just a short synopsis of the topic.
The site I took the quotes from and some of the information is listed as follows, this website goes in to more depth on the subject.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations
I am going to post an unusual topic, here so bare with me here.
I have always wondered if East Asian cultures in the Roman Empire ever interacted to the point, where there would be merchants and dignitaries living in the others Empire. I have some knowledge of the East -West interaction, which I will post. If anyone has any more information about this subject pleases post.
There were a serious of steps that lead up the ancients’ interaction with the east starting with Alexander in 329 B.C. when he founded the town of Alexandria Eschate in the modern day Khozdent, Tajikistan. For the next three centuries the Greeks stayed in Central Asia, and established the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in Bactria. This kingdom kept pushing westward past Alexandria Eschate with possible contact with the Han dynasty around 200 B.C. This is back up by the writings of the Greek historian Starbo who wrote that “they extended their empire even as far as the Seres (China) and the Phryni".
After this first contact, the Han dynasty developed a growing interest in the west sending dignitaries out ever so often. Most of these dignitaries made contact with Middle East and India, These cultures all ready had trade with the Mediterranean world. Around 1 B.C. the Parthians introduces silk to the Romans. The first dignitaries and traders that might of reached Rome where under the reign of Augustus. The Roman historian Florus documented this encounter "Now that all the races of the west and south were subjugated, and also the races of the north, (...) the Scythians and the Sarmatians sent ambassadors seeking friendship; the Seres too and the Indians, who live immediately beneath the sun, though they brought elephants amongst their gifts as well as precious stones and pearls, regarded their long journey, in the accomplishment of which they had spent four years, as the greatest tribute which they rendered, and indeed their complexion proved that they came from beneath another sky.—(Florus Epitomae II, 34). In this passage the phrase "and the Indians" could refer to the Chinese. I have heard from hearsay that the Romans would refer to all people to the east of India as Indians, However, I can not validate this.
At the same time The Chinese set up a port near modern day Hanoi in Vietnam, this trade route ran from Sir Lanka through India to the ports of Egypt. They have found Roman coins in Vietnam, through this trade route. Then in 161 A.D. Marcus Aurllius set up an envoy to travel to China. They arrived in China in 166 A.D and this is validated by the emperor Huan and the Han dynasty. This envoy went through the southern port through the route listed above.
In the interaction with the Roman Empire and the Han dynasty there are also many other cases of interaction through castaways, soldiers on the frontier becoming captured. And cartographer maps from the period. However this is just a short synopsis of the topic.
The site I took the quotes from and some of the information is listed as follows, this website goes in to more depth on the subject.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations
William Summe
(Felix Agrippa)
Quando omni flunkus moritati
When all else fails, play dead
(Felix Agrippa)
Quando omni flunkus moritati
When all else fails, play dead
