Rzymskie poselstwo do Chin

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Chińska Księga Późniejszych Hanów (Houhanshu) zanotowała informację, iż w roku 166 drogą morską przez Ocean Indyjski do kraju Jinan (Annam) przybyło poselstwo króla Andun z Daqin (Rzymu), oferując kość słoniową, rogi nosorożca i szylkret. Imię Andun (安敦) uważa się powszechnie za fonetyczny zapis nazwiska rodowego cesarza Marka Aureliusza (Antoninus), trwają jednak spory, czy było to oficjalne poselstwo rzymskie, czy samodzielna inicjatywa kupców, chcących handlować bez pośredników obecnych na jedwabnym szlaku.

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marek_Aureliusz

 

Czy wiecie coś więcej na ten temat?

[jakober]

Znalazłem na stronie Internet East Asian History Sourcebook cytat fragmentu z F. Hirth "China and the Roman Orient: Researches into their Ancient and Mediaeval Relations as Represented in Old Chinese Records" (Shanghai & Hong Kong, 1885), pp. 35-96.

W akapicie poświęconym źródłu Hou Hanshu czyli Księdze Późniejszych Hanów z V w.n.e. zamieszczony jest cytat opisu okresu od 25 do 220 r.n.e.:

The country of Ta-ts'in is also called Li-kan and, as being situated on the western part of the sea, Hai-hsi-kuo [i.e., "country of the western part of the sea"]. Its territory amounts to several thousand li; it contains over four hundred cities, and of dependent states there are several times ten. The defences of cities are made of stone. The postal stations and mile-stones on the roads are covered with plaster. There are pine and cypress trees and all kinds of other trees and plants. The people are much bent on agriculture, and practice the planting of trees and the rearing of silk-worms. They cut the hair of their heads, wear embroidered clothing, and drive in small carriages covered with white canopies; when going in or out they beat drums, and hoist flags, banners, and pennants. The precincts of the walled city in which they live measure over a hundred li in circumference. In the city there are five palaces, ten li distant from each other. In the palace buildings they use crystal [glass?] to make pillars; vessels used in taking meals are also so made. The king goes to one palace a day to hear cases. After five days he has completed his round. As a rule, they let a man with a bag follow the king's carriage. Those who have some matter to submit, throw a petition into the bag. When the king arrives at the palace, he examines into the rights and wrongs of the matter. The official documents are under the control of thirty-six chiang [generals?] who conjointly discuss government affairs. Their kings are not permanent rulers, but they appoint men of merit. When a severe calamity visits the country, or untimely rain-storms, the king is deposed and replaced by another. The one relieved from his duties submits to his degradation without a murmur. The inhabitants of that country are tall and well-proportioned, somewhat like the Han [Chinese], whence they are called Ta-ts'in. The country contains much gold, silver, and rare precious stones, especially the "jewel that shines at night," "the moonshine pearl," the hsieh-chi-hsi, corals, amber, glass, lang-kan [a kind of coral], chu-tan [cinnabar ?], green jadestone [ching-pi], gold-embroidered rugs and thin silk-cloth of various colors. They make gold-colored cloth and asbestos cloth. They further have "fine cloth," also called Shui-yang-ts'ui [i.e., down of the water-sheep]; it is made from the cocoons of wild silk-worms. They collect all kinds of fragrant substances, the juice of which they boil into su-ho [storax]. All the rare gems of other foreign countries come from there. They make coins of gold and silver. Ten units of silver are worth one of gold. They traffic by sea with Ar-hsi and T'ien-chu [India], the profit of which trade is ten-fold. They are honest in their transactions, and there are no double prices. Cereals are always cheap. The budget is based on a well-filled treasury. When the embassies of neighboring countries come to their frontier, they are driven by post to the capital, and, on arrival, are presented with golden money. Their kings always desired to send embassies to Zhongguo [China], but the Ar-hsi wished to carry on trade with them in Han silks, and it is for this reason that they were cut off from communication. This lasted till the ninth year of the Yen-hsi period during the emperor Huan-ti's reign [166 C.E.] when the king of Ta-ts'in, An-tun [Marcus Aurelius Antoninus], sent an embassy who, from the frontier of Jih-nan [Annam] offered ivory, rhinoceros horns, and tortoise shell. From that time dates the direct intercourse with this country. The list of their tribute contained no jewels whatever, which fact throws doubt on the tradition. It is said by some that in the west of this country there is the Jo-shui ["weak water"--probably the Dead Sea] and the Liu-sha ["flying sands, desert"] near the residence of the Hsi-wang-mu ["mother of the western king"], where the sun sets. The Ch'ien-han-shu says: "From T'iao-chih [Babylonia] west, going over 200 days, one is near the place where the sun sets"; this does not agree with the present book. Former embassies from Zhongguo all returned from Wu-i; there were none who came as far as T'iao-chih. It is further said that, coming from the land-road of Ar-hsi, you make a round at sea and, taking a northern turn, come out from the western part of the sea, whence you proceed to Ta-ts'in.

The country is densely populated; every ten li [of a road] are marked by a t'ing; thirty li by a chih [resting-place]. One is not alarmed by robbers, but the road becomes unsafe by fierce tigers and lions who will attack passengers, and unless these be travelling in caravans of a hundred men or more, or be protected by military equipment, they may be devoured by those beasts. They also say there is a flying bridge [the bridge over the Euphrates at Zeugma] of several hundred li, by which one may cross to the countries north of the sea. The articles made of rare precious stones produced in this country are sham curiosities and mostly not genuine, whence they are not here mentioned.

 

Jakkolwiek, na ile udało mi się zorientować w artykule Sino-Roman relations oraz jego niemieckojęzycznym odpowiedniku, nie jest pewne, czy w przypadku An-Tun chodzi o Marka Aureliusza czy też o Antoninusa Piusa. Podejrzewam, że ciekawym w tym kontekście jest m.in. artykuł prof. Edwina G. Pulleyblanka :  The Roman Empire as known to Han China (1999), (jednak nie udało mi się do jego treści dotrzeć) jak i przedmowa Johna E. Hilla do The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu.

 

Swoją drogą - czytając powyzszy fragment Księgi Późnych Hanów bardzo fajne uczucie, przyjrzeć się wiedzy o starożytnym Rzymie oczyma chińskich kronikarzy.

Edytowane 6 Czerwiec 2018 przez jakober

[secesjonista]

Kłopot z cesarskim poselstwem to brak wzmianek w źródłach zachodnich. Oczywiście argumentum a silentio nic nie rozstrzyga ale asumpt do poszukiwania innego objaśnienia tego fragmentu chińskiej kroniki. Najpopularniejszym jest wersja zaproponowana w 1907 r. przez Éduarda Chavannesa, wedle którego byli to po prostu rzymscy kupcy (tegoż, "Les Pays D'Occident D'Après le "Heou Han chou": Avant-propos", "T'oung Pao", II Series, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1907).

Gdyby przyjąć takie objaśnienie, to czy kupcy dla podwyższenia swej rangi (i osiągnięcia ewentualnie lepszych warunków transakcji) podali się za posłów od rzymskiego cesarza? A może było odwrotnie, czyli zwykłą misję kupiecką w chińskim zapisie potraktowano jako poselstwo by podnieść rangę władcy?

 

 

 

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