Sheep Growing out of the Ground and Other Wonders: The Roman Empire in Pre-6th Century Non-Dynastic Chinese Sources
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The Chinese perception of Daqin – widely accepted to denote the Roman Empire in pre-6th century texts – has been at the center of scholarly attention for a substantial time now. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of previous analyses focused on standard dynastic histories. Besides these texts compiled at the imperial court, however, numerous other sources, including geographical treatises, religious texts, and encyclopedias also mention Daqin, and provide differing accounts of the distant land. Therefore, the present paper provides a comprehensive analysis of these non-dynastic accounts of Daqin including a completely new translation of the Chinese texts and an in-depth comparison of dynastic and non-dynastic accounts providing valuable additions to the previously known picture of Daqin.
Source: Acta Orientalia
Institution: Eötvös Loránd University
Language: English
Topic: Eurasian Exchange Networks
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4408773847