In the news . . .

Michael Daumen · September 23, 2000, 10:31

I read yesterday about the conjectures that a Chinese city in the Gobi may have been settled by Roman legionnaires in the last century before Christ. Apparently it is named for the general Chinese term for "Romans," and many of the inhabitants have European features. The historical record suggests that a mercenary force could have traveled east as it worked for empire to empire. One of the Hun generals at the time maintained a fort with double palisades, a Roman fortification. Another source cites troops that performed the unique testudo formation with their shields.

So, how about a scenario whose goal is to found a city farthest east? The human player has legionnaires, which double as settlers. They must ally with various empires for gold, fighting their way to China against Parthia and Central American tribes. If they take one city and lose it, the game is over.

Prometeus · September 23, 2000, 11:12

I knew that Carrae's Roman P-O-W were settled by Parthians in nowadays Merv, NE Iran. When Roman emperor Augustus signed a peace thretry with Parthians,
only few prisoners returned from here. Maybe these Romans were ancestors of this town's citizens...

Stefan Härtel · September 24, 2000, 04:34

Didn't Caesar send Gaius Bonus to inner Mongolia in "Asterix the Gaul"??

No, seriously, I guess that'll explain why the Christian cults spread out there so early.

Can you tell me exactly which city this was?

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Michael Daumen · September 25, 2000, 22:32

I believe it was something like Liqian - it sounded like the generic Chinese term for "Roman." And yes, there is speculation that the mystery Romans were the former prisoners from Carrhae.

Ken Hinds · September 26, 2000, 01:24

Michael,

I believe that you have a minor typo in your original post. Or did you really mean to say that Rome found the New World during the Emperial Days and fought against Mayans, and others instead of against the Central Asians

Ken

Civfan · September 27, 2000, 00:41

I read somewhere that those Romans who were defeated in Carrae where used by the Parthians against the Chinese.. I think from Parthia.com was were I read this.... The Chinese tell of Roman style warfare and Roamn Legionary formations....Some were captured and settled in China.....Was before Christ, around 50-25 B.C. I think...

Prometeus · September 27, 2000, 09:16

According to Claudius Tolomeus, there were also a lot of Roman merchants on the Silk Road trade route... How weird they never noticed a Roman city in Central Asia. Maybe this city was long time dead in I century after Christ....

Stefan Härtel · September 27, 2000, 14:28

Ever noticed how the Romans were able to ally with the Kushanas against the upcoming Sassanid menace? But that was in 224 AD.
Unfortunately, my books tell nothing about Roman prisoners of war in China.

quote:

According to Claudius Tolomeus, there were also a lot of Roman merchants on the Silk Road
trade route... How weird they never noticed a Roman city in Central Asia. Maybe this city was
long time dead in I century after Christ....

The Silk Route does not lead through the Gobi, and I guess that it was kept secretly by the Parthians.
But tell me, could it be Lou-lan?

Prometeus · September 28, 2000, 10:35

quote:

Originally posted by Prometeus on 09-27-2000 09:16 AM
How weird they never noticed a Roman city in Central Asia.

My public apologies, Stefan, i used the wrong verbal expression.

So please read it... "How weird they never knew anything about...".

Stefan Härtel · September 28, 2000, 11:47

Check out this: http://www.farshore.force9.co.uk/aromchin.htm

The Capo · September 29, 2000, 00:29

I would not doubt the validity of these findings, I have been studying pre-columbian transcontinental contact for a while. This is nothing strange at all compared to the discovery of Mali and Assyrian head-dresses in ancient Yucatan, as well as African settlements in Ireland, and Mayan artifacts in France. There are also tales of dark skinned warriors dressed like "Lions" in the old Frankish period, who were believed to have come from central America.

A finding of a Roman settlement in China would not be surprising, as the silk road did streatch from Rome to China, and to contradict the statement that the Silk Road did not run through the Gobi, it should be noted that there was no SPECIFIC road designated the silk road, and any travler attempting to traverse this "road" could have been put off course ever so slightly or very much so.

It should also be noted that I was studying Chinese war formations and there are many Chinese formations that resemble that of Alexander the great, which the Romans were very keen on, it would not surprise me at all to find that Roman troops taught some maneuvering to Chinese soldiers.

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