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Glass jewelry thought to have been made in the Roman Empire has been found in a very unlikely place -- an ancient Japanese tomb.
Researchers from Japan's Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties announced Friday that three glass beads recovered from a Fifth Century burial site near Kyoto bear signs of Roman craftsmanship. This suggests that Roman influence reached as far as East Asia.
I remember years ago when I was enrolled in the Gemological Institute Of America, studying to become a gemologist, I learned that the lapis lazuli (a beautiful blue opaque gemstone, often with inclusions of pyrite crystals - looking like specks of gold) was much beloved by the ancient Egyptians, and many of the gorgeous objects found in King Tut's tomb was inlaid with lapis lazuli ... was actually mined in Afghanistan. In fact the best quality lapis still comes from that war-torn country. Just goes to show you that trade routes were pretty extensive and sophisticated in classical antiquity.
The product that traveled the farthest seems to always be jewelry, gems, precious metals and even glass beads. Why not? It is the most portable, and has the potential for the highest profit at re-sale.
While i haven't ever read about the romans and ancient japanese trading by sea none the less i'm not surprised to read about this as the romans had been trading with the chinese since the Han dynasty by land and sea as they had several port cities along the Red Sea. The romans called ancient china Seres and the ancient chinese called the roman empire Daqin.
What it indicates is there was a well developed trade along what is called the Silk Road which went from China, through central Asia to Persia and then into Roman territory like Syria or Asia Minor. Where do you think Romans got silk, a fine ceramic called China, tea, peaches and oranges. I've seen both Roman and Chinese maps that both show knowledge of each others existance and knowledge of the Mediterranean. If the Chinese knew about that someone had to tell them or Chinese traders saw it with their own eyes. We need to realize that people in the past were not so isolated or immobile. Now whay I find interesting are Chinese mapes from the 14th century which describe places like the West Coast of the Americas and Australia and New Zealand. Some maps also show Southern Africa and the Americas up to Brazil. So how did the Chinese get there? Did a Chinese captain do a Magellan in reverse or did they beat Vasco de Gama and Dias by more than a century?
There is a huge logical chasm between the appearance of three Roman coins and the suggestion that it signifies Roman "influence" in the far east Asia. If we take that suggestion at face value I suppose that the Huffington Post of the future will conclude, on the off chance that some archeologist finds my "crypt", that the three 5 Groszy coins suggest Polish "influence" on African American culture.
There is a huge logical chasm between the appearance of three Roman coins and the suggestion that it signifies Roman "influence" in the far east Asia. If we take that suggestion at face value I suppose that the Huffington Post of the future will conclude, on the off chance that some archeologist finds my "crypt", that the three 5 Groszy coins suggest Polish "influence" on African American culture.
The coins in and of themselves don't prove Roman influence but how those coins found themselves thousands of miles beyond the Roman world is a story in and of itself. Also that they weren't melted down to make something Chinese means they meant something more to a Chinese than metal scrap!
I think we see the oceans and seas as barriers that kept ancient peoples isolated, but all the evidence points to ancient peoples using the oceans and seas as pathways for trade.
I don't know why they are amazed by that.
The Romans had a very active trade with China, but it was not DIRECT because Partians and Neopartians were "intermediaries", they were in the middle collecting tax....that's why the Romans sent Crassus to defeat Partians...and he was killed by Partians.
That is why Caesar has it all prepared to invade Partia, but he was killed.
That is why a Roman Emperor was captured alive by Partians during the late empire...
Just as in the modern world with the Oil Producers, the Romans has an enormous TRADE IMBALANCE with China...since all the Roman gold ended in China in exchange of silks, opium and luxury items....and the only thing that Romans had that interested Chinese was Glass. Roman glass.
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