Ep. 295 | Sino-Roman Relations (Part 1)
This is sort of a strange topic. In Part 1 we'll look at the early history that took place between the Western Han Dynasty and the Western Roman Empire. Before we tuck into the chicken ribs that is Sino-Roman Relations, I'll introduce you to the far-out theory that Professor Homer Dubs came up with. A lot of people swear this happened. Then we'll look at the famous Gan Ying mission of 97 AD and take it from there. In Part 2 we'll look at the events that happened mostly during the Byzantine Empire.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Salvete omnes | (Latin) | Greetings everyone! |
| Empress Zhǎngsūn | 长孙皇后 | 601-636, also known as Empress Wende (文德),wife and empress of Tang Emperor Taizong |
| Hǎinán | 海南 | Island province off the coast of Guangdong |
| Hénán | 河南 | Ancient province in central China, south of Hebei |
| Sāngxīngduī | 三星堆 | Located in Guanghan, north of Chengdu, site of an ancient civilization thought to be the Kingdom of Shu |
| Eastern Zhou | 东周 | 770-256 BC, the second half of the Zhoiu Dynasty that was divided up into The Spring & Autumn and Warring States Periods |
| Warring States | 战国时代 | The period of the Eastern Zhou that lasted 475-221 BC |
| Qín Dynasty | 秦朝 | The first imperial dynasty in Chinese history, lasting 221 to 206 BC |
| Hàn | 汉朝 | 202 BC to 220 AD, dynasty founded by Liu Bang, divided up into Western and Eastern Han |
| Wáng Mǎng | 王莽 | 45 BC to 23 AD, founder of the Xin Dynasty that separated the Western from the Eastern Han. Wang Mang seized the throne in 9AD and was later overthrown and killed in 23 AD |
| Eastern Han | 东汉 | The second half of the Han Dynasty, lasting from 25 to 220. Also called the Later Han |
| Eastern Jin | 东晋 | 317-420, the second half of the Jin Dynasty when the capital was located at Jiankang (modern day Nanjing) |
| Sixteen Kingdoms | 十六国 | A chaotic and violent period in Chinese history lasting from 304 to 439 |
| Liú Sòng | 刘宋 | 420-479, ther first of the four Southern Dynasties that succeeded the Eastern Jin |
| Annals of Later Han | 后汉纪 | Chinese history book of the Eastern Han dynasty written during the Jin Dynasty |
| Book of Later Han | 后汉书 | One of the Twenty-Four Histories. It covers the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 |
| Wèi Lüè | 魏略 | A Brief History of Wèi…written during the Three Kingdoms by Yú Huàn 鱼豢 |
| Zá Shǐ | 杂史 | A category of written histories called "Miscellaneous histories or historians" |
| Dàqín | 大秦 | The ancient name for Rome (Great Qin) |
| Líqián | 骊靬 | Another name for Rome or Byzantium |
| Xīnjiāng | 新疆 | China's largest province, locate in the northwest |
| Gānsù | 甘肃 | Northwest province of China |
| Hàn-Xiōngnú Wars | A series of wars fought between the Xiongnu and the Han Armies from 139 BC to 89 AD | |
| Zhìzhī Chányú | 郅支单于 | Ruler of the Xiongnu in the west from 55 to 36 BC |
| Chén Tāng | 陈汤 | One of the Han generals who fought against and defeated Zhizhi Chanyu in 36 BC |
| Gān Yánshòu | 甘延寿 | One of the other Han generals who fought against and defeated Zhizhi Chanyu in 36 BC |
| Jīnchāng | 金昌市 | a prefecture-level city in the centre of Gansu province bordering Inner Mongolia to the north. Located in the Hexi Corridor |
| Yǒngchāng County | 永昌县 | a county located in the southern half of Jinchang bordering Qinghai to the south. It has been associated with the historical Liqian county. The village of Zhelaizhai (see below),has been the subject of international academic and media attention for its potential connection to Sino-Roman relations. |
| Gānsù Héxī Corridor | 河西走廊 | Also known as the Gansu Corridor, an important historical region located in the modern western Gansu province of China, referring to a narrow stretch of traversable and relatively arable plain west of the Yellow River's Ordos Loop (hence the name Hexi, meaning "west of the river") |
| Zhèng Hé | 郑和 | 1371-1433? Chinese mariner, admiral, explorer and diplomat who led seven famous voyages to the southwest of China all the way to the East African coast |
| Míng Dynasty | 明朝 | Chinese imperial dynasty that lasted 1368-1644 |
| Bān Gù | 班固 | 32-92 AD, co-author of the Book fo Han |
| Bān Zhāo | 班昭 | writers of the Later Book of Hàn |
| Zhāng Qiān | 张骞 | Sister of Ban Gu (and Ban Chao) 32-102, co-author of the Book of Han |
| Zhěláizhài | 者来寨 | a village on the edge of the Gobi desert in Gansu province renamed after Liqian, an ancient county |
| Gān Yīng | 甘英 | a Chinese diplomat, explorer, and military official who was sent on a mission to the Roman Empire in 97 CE by the Chinese military general Ban Chao |
| Bān Chāo | 班超 | 32-102, great military strategist and conquerer of China's northwest regions |
| Ānxī | 安息 | The ancient namr for Parthia |
| Hàn Emperor Huán | 汉桓帝 | Han Emperor from 146 to 168 |
| Rìnán Commandery | 日南郡 | the southernmost outpost of the Hàn Dynasty, located in today's central part of Vietnam |
| Luòyáng | 洛阳 | The "Eastern Capital" for many of China's ancient dynasties |
| Emperor Āndūn | 安敦 | Antoninus Pious, Emperor of Rome 138-161 |
| Book of Liáng (Liáng Shū) | 梁书 | Completed in 635, one of the Twenty-four Official Histories, details the events of the Liang Dynasty (502-557) |
| Jiāozhǐ | 交趾 | A historical region corresponding to present-day Northern Vietnam set up by the kingdom of Nanyue (204–111 BC) as a Commandery. It became an administrative division centered in the Red River Delta that existed through Vietnam's first and second periods of northern domination. |
| Huángwǔ | 黄武 | Era of the Eastern Wú Emperor Sūn Quán from 222-229 |
| Sūn Quán | 孙权 | 182-252, founder of the state of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms |
| Wǔchāng | 武昌 | City in Hubei province that makes up the Tri-cities of Wuhan |
| Qín Lùn | 秦论 | A merchant from the Roman Empire who arrived in Jiaozhi and who was taken to see Emperor Sun Quan |
| Jìn Shū | 晋书 | The Book of Jin, one of the Twenty-four official histories that covers the Jin Dynasty from 266-420 |
| Jiànyè | 建业 | Sun Quan's ancient capital, modern day Nánjīng |
| Jìn Wǔdì | 晋武帝 | Jìn Dynasty founder Emperor Wǔ…a.k.a. Sīmǎ Yán 司马炎, reigned 266-290 |
| jiānbing | 煎饼 | a traditional Chinese street food similar to crêpes. It is a type of bing generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as "one of China's most popular street breakfasts |
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