Xinhua reports:
Ancient “Roman glass” discovered in tomb
HEFEI, Nov. 20 (Xinhuanet)– Glass remains over 1,700 years old, possibly imported from ancient Rome, have been discovered in an ancient tomb located in east China’s Anhui Province, local cultural relic department said on Sunday.
The tomb was found during the latest road project in Zhulong Village of Dangtu County in Anhui.
Archaeologists believed the tomb was built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 – 420).
Covered with white mantlerock, the glass remains seem to have ancient Roman shapes and craftwork.
According to the local cultural relic department, the owner of the tomb was possibly from an eminent family of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Besides the “Roman glass,” other rare articles including a gold bracelet, a silver ring, a bronze bowl and porcelain were also discovered in the tomb.
Currently, pieces of the “Roman glass” have been sent to the Anhui-based University of Science and Technology of China for further study and analysis, said the local cultural relic department.
Chinese early history: Shang dynasty.
Ancient glass beads provide evidence of industry and trade routes at the time of the Romans: here.
Early Chinese characters found: here.
DNA Testing on 2,000-Year-Old Bones in Italy Reveal East Asian Ancestry: here.
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I wonder what other Roman or other foreign influences might be found in the ‘motherland’….
Hi budak, welcome at this site and thanks for contributing! I like your blog. Sorry for delay in comments appearing here (anti spam measure). As for your question: probably in ancient China, there were more influences from countries like present Russia, Mongolia, India, Thailand, or Vietnam, than from the more distant Roman empire.
hmmm.. I was actually thinking of one article I read (in a magazine) which reported on the findings in a town in Western China of remains of Caucasian (possibly Roman) individuals. Certainly, China’s history has been replete with various foreign injections of culture, which those who try to defend the ‘purity’ of Chinese culture seem to ignore.
Hi budak, is the article on line somewhere? Maybe “Caucasian” means: from present day Russia; or Kazakhstan; or something like that.
I think it might be in the New Scientist magazine (i need to go dig through my physical archives). China’s history and culture is by right a mosaic of multiple foreign influences, languages and ethnic groups. Unfortunately in this century, the dominant Mandarin (Beijing-centric) culture has created a monolithic veneer that hides the country’s true diversity. I come from the so-called Hakka dialect group, which some authorities deem to be of a different lineage from the Han chinese, due to language (our dialect is fairly unintelligible to other Chinese), cultural (relative emancipation of women) and supposed ethnic roots in Central Asia/Mongolia.
Hi budak, thanks for your comment. Indeed in China, like in many other countries, there is a tendency to depict its culture as more monolithic than it really is. In The Netherlands, the seventeenth century is seen as the golden age; often without mentioning that then in the main cities over half of people were of (present) Belgian, German, Portuguese Jewish, etc. descent. The New Scientist is (partially) on line; is the article there?
Could’t find the New Scientist article, but found this: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1166283/posts
Thanks, budak, for the Xinhua item link. Sorry for the delay which seems a peculiarity of blogsome. Personally, if a I find an item on the “Free Republic” site, I look if it is also on some other site; and link there. As Free Republic is a far Right racist site.
Oh sorry! I am not too familiar with the US media ideologies. Only know that Mother Jones is leftish. Well, something new learnt every day.
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