Byzantine Historian Describes Ancient China // 7th cent. Theophylact S. // Primary Source

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
  • Cities built by Alexander the Great, carriages of gold, warring states, animals bred to create a special thread...fantasy mixes with truth in this fascinating insight into the West's knowledge of China at the turn of the 7th century.
    Thanks to Mary and Michael Whitby for the use of their fantastic translation.
    www.amazon.com...
    Thanks to:
    By Getoryk - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikime...
    Seasonsinthesun
    Sailko / CC BY (creativecommon...)
    Ovedc / CC BY-SA (creativecommon...)

ความคิดเห็น • 290

  • @VoicesofthePast
    @VoicesofthePast  4 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    Check out mine and Pete's new channel The Entire History of the Earth th-cam.com/channels/_aOteuWIY8ITg7DQQspG1g.html

    • @dayangmarikit6860
      @dayangmarikit6860 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Voices of the Past - I have to apologize for ranting at you for using the wrong photos in your Philippine upload about Magellan's exploration... it's just that the American depictions of the natives that you used in the video are highly inaccurate because the Americans were not the ones who made actual contact with the natives. The American portrayals of the natives were more like a "hodgepodge" of Native American and Pacific Islander cultures... kindly read my article in the link below.
      www.quora.com/What-if-the-Philippines-developed-a-complex-civilization-like-Japan/answer/Dayang-Marikit?ch=10&share=ed2b6ef5&srid=iQMbJ

    • @richardputz3233
      @richardputz3233 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Not as deep as Hara’s. But any way .
      DONE DID IT !!

    • @richardputz3233
      @richardputz3233 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hara Lingayan I read your fascinating article about the Philippines .Very impressive gold work .
      But I’m confused about one thing .Did you write it or did Dayang Marikit ?
      I am of the white race too ,Canadian ,I do wish I had a more interesting heritage but mine is just mem .
      Also when the Americans hit the Philippines they were really into the our s**t don’t stink phase.

    • @dayangmarikit6860
      @dayangmarikit6860 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Richard Putz - Dayang is my Quora account.

    • @ahmedamine2189
      @ahmedamine2189 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Can you mike a video for Tu-Han s description of iraq

  • @Bjarkenb
    @Bjarkenb 4 ปีที่แล้ว +500

    We have to remember that the term "Barbarian" did not have the "Conan-like" connotations we have today, of lightly clad brutish savages - but was simply how one might refer to a person, or people, who's language or speech is incomprehensible, like the present term "bla"

    • @edmann1820
      @edmann1820 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      In this sense I think it means non-christians.

    • @malahamavet
      @malahamavet 4 ปีที่แล้ว +114

      @@edmann1820 I translate Latin and Greek texts, for example when I had to do a text about Cyrus, there was a line saying that he was giving orders in both Greek (helenikos) and foreign (barbarikos) in that case, foreigner referee to the Persians. He had Greeks and Persians on his army, so i ensure you, it's literally "foreigner/non greek" and it shows up for any non Greek language and people.
      The barbarian term is older than Christianity. If they wanted to say non Christians they would say other words

    • @MPHJackson7
      @MPHJackson7 4 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      @@edmann1820 It really means "non-Greco-Roman" The word was used to mean "foreigner" as far back as ancient times. There were multiple words Christians used to refer to non-Christians (Pagan, etc.) but "barbarian" wasn't one of them.
      On a related note, the Bible actually uses the word in Colossians 3:11 to make the point that all people can be united in Christianity.

    • @edmann1820
      @edmann1820 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@malahamavet Then it's a bad translation. Since if the word is barbikos, meaning foreigner, the correct translation should be foreigner. I am well aware of where the word comes from and it's age and usage. But is the usage the same in 7th century as it was in the 4th century BC.
      Also you assure me, you don't ensure. ;)

    • @Marci124
      @Marci124 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I read somewhere recently that the onomatopoeia hypothesis was shaky and not widely accepted.

  • @TheOhgodineedaname
    @TheOhgodineedaname 4 ปีที่แล้ว +275

    Rabban Bar Sauma might be fun. He was a Nestorian Turkish/Chinese monk who visited Europe in the 13th century and got to meet the Pope, Edward I (I believe) and some other famous figures.

    • @VoicesofthePast
      @VoicesofthePast  4 ปีที่แล้ว +71

      Aye thats certainly on the cards. Thanks!

    • @TheOhgodineedaname
      @TheOhgodineedaname 4 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      @@VoicesofthePast Afanasy Nikitin might also be interesting, he was a Russian who visited India in the 15th century, briefly became a Muslim, then reverted to Christianity and moved back to write down his experience of a several years there.

    • @maligjokica
      @maligjokica 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Can you share a link to (if exsist) a text from that nestorian? Thanks any way:))

    • @TheOhgodineedaname
      @TheOhgodineedaname 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@maligjokica There's one here I believe but I am not entirely sure if its the whole thing.
      web.archive.org/web/20070928031354/www.nestorian.org/history_of_rabban_bar_sawma_1.html

    • @b.m.4345
      @b.m.4345 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@VoicesofthePast There's also the letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha.

  • @longbow101
    @longbow101 4 ปีที่แล้ว +128

    Greetings from China. Maybe you can make a video of how Latin and Chinese words translated into each other? I think that would be very interesting!
    In ancient Chinese, we called Rome as 'Daqin'大秦 and Byzantine Empire as 'Fulin'拂菻. Probably not for the reason of similar pronunciation.
    But we got many ancient names right/close as how they actually sounded back in time, like
    Roma 羅馬/luoma/
    Ceasar 凱撒/Kaisa/
    Octavius 屋大維/Wudawei/
    Jesus 耶穌/Yesu/
    John 約翰/Yohan/
    Greece 希臘/Xila/
    ......

    • @Reflox1
      @Reflox1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Heh, Kaisa. It's what we use in German for emperor: "Kaiser".

    • @gogocelmare7047
      @gogocelmare7047 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Byzatin empire dosen't exist , is a german invention to can clame for them the Roman empire , and the estern part of Roman empire become to be re-write in the history books start with 1800 as Byzatium and the Germans call themsekve "Holy Roman empire

    • @GlamStacheessnostalgialounge
      @GlamStacheessnostalgialounge 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@gogocelmare7047 I have lost the majority of my braincells trying to read this garbage you wrote.

    • @hanhai8515
      @hanhai8515 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Chinese back then was middle Chinese(中古汉语), it sounds completely different from modern Chinese pinyin, not even based on Beijing dialect like modern Mandarin. So it doesn't make sense at all to try to find similarities between modern pinyin and Latin. Also ancient Chinese didn't have most of the words you listed. No one in ancient China knew who Octavius was, it's a modern translation.

    • @RoyCostaCycles
      @RoyCostaCycles 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@hanhai8515 I've searched the attempted constructed pronunciation in 中古汉语 and it is /fʰyət˥ liɪm˩˥/. Of course this reconstruction so not 100% accurate

  • @nachoolo
    @nachoolo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +112

    "The land of Taugast is not troubled by discord for lineage provides with the selection of their leader"
    Only the Byzantines would be surprised with that.

    • @Blazo_Djurovic
      @Blazo_Djurovic 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Kinda, Eastern Rome of Maurice has been ruled for several generations at this point by a series of Emperors who didn't share much blood and mostly came to the position by being adopted by the previous one and or being acclaimed by the people of Constantinople and the army. And people of Constantinople were very much aware they could topple pretty much any Emperor if he greatly displeased them, since rare were the Emperors that were able to survive the wrath of the mob. Justinian being one of rare ones.
      Some have even claimed that this is why Eastern Romans kinda still considered themselves a republic, since there was still res publica, rule of people's will. If the people don't like you, they won't acclaim you on your ascention. If they don't like you, they'll open the gates to some other candidate for the Emperor (it was not rare for on the death of previous Emperor, some unit of the army to turn up with someone they'd support and basicaly camp beneath the walls to see if people of Rome might welcome their candidate instead). If they hate you, they'll riot on the streets and come to get you at your own palace.
      So while your average citizen of Constantinople was pretty ignorant of what went up outside the walls of the city, any Emperor worth their salt would never try to push him too far on issues that mattered to the citizens.

    • @bouzoukiman5000
      @bouzoukiman5000 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Even though they didn't use lineage to select a leader unlike the rest of europe?

  • @WorthlessWinner
    @WorthlessWinner 4 ปีที่แล้ว +238

    China is a big city

    • @MPHJackson7
      @MPHJackson7 4 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      China is my city

    • @chadlynch1551
      @chadlynch1551 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@MPHJackson7 Saying China is a big city is even better than that politician saying the internet is a series of tubes.

    • @hyc1308
      @hyc1308 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      For Americans it’s a big Chinatown.

    • @RareSeldas
      @RareSeldas 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      England is my city.

    • @francecruz5157
      @francecruz5157 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      For you

  • @Dhhdjdjdj46
    @Dhhdjdjdj46 4 ปีที่แล้ว +105

    You utter legend

    • @joyfold1029
      @joyfold1029 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      He utters a primary source.
      Just as those 1000 years from now, who quoting Donald Trump, would also be uttering "legend" (ie, lies) lol

    • @ToyosatomimiNoThug
      @ToyosatomimiNoThug 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      JoyFold Bruh

  • @brianmessemer2973
    @brianmessemer2973 4 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    Utterly, utterly fascinating. Wonderful.

    • @philo3838
      @philo3838 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I mean it's ok, what are you so in awe about?

  • @CoolHistoryBros
    @CoolHistoryBros 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    The Taughast, or Tuoba was a group Turkic Xianbei people who conquered Northern China and established the Northern Wei dynasty (a.k.a. Tuoba Wei). The original setting for Ballan of Mulan was inspired by a war between the Tuoba and Rourans. So Mulan was originally conceived to be Turkic Xianbei, instead of Han Chinese.
    Later, Northern Wei split into two, Northern and Eastern Wei. The Northern Wei imperial family became too sinicized, and the traditionalist Tuobas broke off into Western Tuoba.

    • @SuperGman117
      @SuperGman117 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I thought the "Huns" of Mulan were Xiongnu.

    • @billh6010
      @billh6010 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@SuperGman117 historically speaking, those were not really the huns or xiongnus. They were the Rouran ( well those steppe nomads are kinda genetically and culturally related though )

    • @maxqazwsxedc1050
      @maxqazwsxedc1050 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@SuperGman117 And you are absolutely right, truth is, Mulan was written with no mention of real names and historical figures so people can't tell with dynasty it was from, likely to avoid prosecution from Xianbei court, however all evidence suggests the war takes place in Han dynasty against xiongnu nomads, op is taking the time when this book was written and assumed the story was about that period but in reality it's filled with clues and sentiment toward a Han ethnic dynasty it's practically an established fact Mulan's story is in Han dynasty

    • @JLC-tj1zo
      @JLC-tj1zo 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      停止假历史,北魏是汉人

  • @novaterra973
    @novaterra973 4 ปีที่แล้ว +112

    Chubdan is probably indeed Xi'an, a corruption of its old name Chang'an. Although the description of its geography sounds closer to Luoyang, which does have two rivers to north and south.

    • @erickeeble4898
      @erickeeble4898 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I didn't think Alexander of Macedon went that far east, and I wonder whether the information available to the Byzantine author was based on reports confusing Alexander with the First Emperor. Xi'an also seems to have 2 rivers, and Luoyang is even further east. The notion of women in perpetual mourning is interesting. Is it possible rituals around the Xi'an burial complex were practised several hundred years after the First Emperor's internment?

    • @erickeeble4898
      @erickeeble4898 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Correction: interment not internment

    • @novaterra973
      @novaterra973 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      ​@@erickeeble4898 'Perpetual mourning' is an exaggeration, but the Confucian mourning period can last up to three years, and there are periodical memorial rituals, so they might have been seen as perpetual mourning.
      I can't comment on burial ritual more, sorry, since I don't know more than what I have already written.
      I thought of Luoyang because it was the political heart of China alongside Chang'an during this period, basically serving as a co-capital city.

    • @erickeeble4898
      @erickeeble4898 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@novaterra973 Thank you. More to learn !

    • @EinFelsbrocken
      @EinFelsbrocken 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      My last two braincells throughout the exam: *_PERPETUAL MOURNING_*

  • @HighLordBlazeReborn
    @HighLordBlazeReborn 4 ปีที่แล้ว +57

    You guys really need to leave the text on screen longer. That bit about the confusion with Taugasts stayed on screen for like two seconds before fading.

    • @user-uy1rg8td1v
      @user-uy1rg8td1v 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I wish they had subtitles for the whole thing.

    • @friedlemons5201
      @friedlemons5201 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      *laughs in pause button*

  • @MrThatguyuknow
    @MrThatguyuknow 4 ปีที่แล้ว +158

    "The leader used to pass the night with *700 Women* "

    • @tomtaylor5623
      @tomtaylor5623 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      very common throughout all chinese history. it's why they all look so similar today, not much genetic variance.

    • @jakedee4117
      @jakedee4117 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      OK I'll say it, no man in history has ever "Passed the night" with 700 women !
      Could be a subtle grammatical error in translation going on here, "700 women to spent the night with" would fit an Emperor, but even they had a roster system.

    • @kariscoyne1886
      @kariscoyne1886 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Careful guys, this thread is about to summon the ghost of HP Lovecraft

    • @jasonbelstone3427
      @jasonbelstone3427 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@kariscoyne1886 You'd need Cthulu levels of strength to pass the night with 700 women.

    • @scutumfidelis1436
      @scutumfidelis1436 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Probably means that he simply had large crowds of women like a royal procession.

  • @szlonkobusjbusj3819
    @szlonkobusjbusj3819 4 ปีที่แล้ว +169

    North Macedonia: I am the true heir of Alexander the Great!
    Greece: Liar! Impostor!
    China: Yes, don't listen to him. We all know it's me!

    • @weijiafang1298
      @weijiafang1298 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Actually such (joke-like) claims appeared much earlier. Legend says that when Russians and us negotiated borders in the 17th century:
      -We are the descendants of the Roman Empire.
      -Then we are the descendants of Alexandar the Great of Macedonia.

    • @octaviondeminicolas1941
      @octaviondeminicolas1941 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Macedonia has been Chinese territory since ancient times!

    • @fortred735
      @fortred735 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yeah, well he owes me money. And that means you do too now. 🤑

    • @galecarp
      @galecarp 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      China: Who the hell is Alisandar the Gleet

  • @youngoutlaw5150
    @youngoutlaw5150 4 ปีที่แล้ว +71

    Historians love disrespecting the Great Eastern Roman Empire

  • @jakedee4117
    @jakedee4117 4 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    Even today rich Chinese men don't wear gold jewelry.

  • @ArtymusPrime
    @ArtymusPrime 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    This may be one of the most valuable channels on youtube for providing such deep and meaningful insight into the records left behind the ancients

  • @Cremenium
    @Cremenium 4 ปีที่แล้ว +85

    So the Roman records on Chinese history were even less accurate than the Chinese historians made on the Roman Empire.
    One thing in common though, they both consider themselves as the real ancestor.

    • @pietromeroni2023
      @pietromeroni2023 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      At the time the idea of making a realistic description wasn't a thing. They were more interested in making up an idea that represents, even though not true to reality, about history and cultures. There was no real need to make an effort and actually write down a true story of a distant people, it wasn't like in would bring any advantage or have any practical use.

    • @pietromeroni2023
      @pietromeroni2023 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @Fiamo Scarlette the Roman republic made an effort to write realistic description of lands and people because of their interest in expansionism. As they say: know your enemy. That's just my personal interpretation, and it seems like during the Christian era of the Roman empire this expansionist policy faded away, so what there was no purpose in accurate descriptions, they just didn't care if what they reported was actually realistic, especially about a distant land like China, investigating in they're culture and land would just be a waist of resources for the state

    • @supremacy2040
      @supremacy2040 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Alum Kerins ..that’s hard to really say...when it comes to Chinese history China has been isolationist for a long time and been known even to date to deny facts others offer as proof. If that happens even today, I can’t imagine how hard getting the truth would have been back then.

    • @zhouwu
      @zhouwu 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      This is what happens when peer reviewed journals are not a thing and all the citizens just feed off the Propaganda the emperor gives them.
      Both sides treated their subjects like mushrooms: keeping them in the dark and feeding them on excrement.

    • @Cremenium
      @Cremenium 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Supre Macy Throw your politics away, would you?

  • @IsmailAbdulMusic
    @IsmailAbdulMusic 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Interesting to know how things we're many lifetimes ago. It makes one think. Thank you for putting this together.

  • @budicaesar1213
    @budicaesar1213 4 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    How about those 2 spec-ops monks who were tasked by the emperor to infiltrate china to bring back the secret knowledge of Silk Production there?

    • @Blazo_Djurovic
      @Blazo_Djurovic 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @Imperial Judesmen138 A real thing that happened if less badass. Basically some monks, I'm not sure on the promting of Emperor or on their own, traveled to china and manged to swipe some of the silk making worms and smuggled them back to Constantinople inside hollow wooden tubes. From then on the Emperors made a pretty good profit by running a monopoly on only silk produced west of China. Though I'm not sure how much that lasted, and what probably scuttled it.

    • @Mullet-ZubazPants
      @Mullet-ZubazPants 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It was probably the first recorded case of industrial espionage ... two Byzantine monks, tasked by Emperor Justinian I, to steal the secret of Chinese silk production

    • @unifieddynasty
      @unifieddynasty 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      spec-ops monks 😂

  • @Norwegianization
    @Norwegianization 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Can't help imagining how these long past human beings viewd the world. Just by listening does it give me an excitement yet a strange feeling of sadness to it all. Life must have been so hard for those poor men.

    • @EinFelsbrocken
      @EinFelsbrocken 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      No memes; truly a life not worth living 😥

  • @tr1084
    @tr1084 4 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    Imagine being emperor of eastern Rome but you still have to live with the name Maurice.

    • @malahamavet
      @malahamavet 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I don't get it, it doesn't sound very greek/latin to me

    • @Marci124
      @Marci124 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I always found the anglicisation of ancient names really strange. My language tends to translate names and phrases as well, but at least we call Homer Homeros and Mark Anthony Marcus Antonius.

    • @imerror6224
      @imerror6224 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      The Greek pronunciation is much cooler.

    • @imerror6224
      @imerror6224 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @mr_ anheuser You are correct.

    • @geraldchurchill5576
      @geraldchurchill5576 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@Marci124 I'm a native English speaker (and only an English speaker) and I find the trend of Anglicizing of just about every ancient name annoying and stupid as well.

  • @Leo-us4wd
    @Leo-us4wd 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    Chinese description of the Tocharian

    • @malahamavet
      @malahamavet 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Who are those people?.

    • @malahamavet
      @malahamavet 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @anonymous opinions ooooooh

    • @Leo-us4wd
      @Leo-us4wd 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @anonymous opinions Tocharian langauge is centum while indo iranic are satem, but location wise they were close

    • @ChromeMan04
      @ChromeMan04 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Aryans near the Afghan China border

    • @fortunekookimon4610
      @fortunekookimon4610 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @ Henry Jones23 Survive the jive & Robert Sepehr both have excellent videos on that.

  • @sid2112
    @sid2112 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Great channel, man. Subbed.

  • @oswaldclara9017
    @oswaldclara9017 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    chinese here.we had great diplomatic relation.when i study the history of Byzantine,i find that many historical events in the two countries r strikingly similar.u lost your west part.we lost our north part(Song dynasty)

  • @billyc9707
    @billyc9707 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you so much I have a history fascination and study it and never saw a channel so unique. It gives so much insight into the thinking at the time I'm addicted to the channel. Thank you so much don't stop the good work. You have a faithful viewer

  • @Phlebas
    @Phlebas 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I love these videos, particularly the ones that amount to ancient travel blogs. Is there anything that can be found for some of the Roman expeditions into sub-Saharan Africa? There have been a few documented crossings of the Saharan desert, though there's no solid evidence that they ever got further than the equator.

  • @musAKulture
    @musAKulture 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    that does not sound like my hometown xi'an (chang'an during tang). it's surrounded by 8 rivers, with none cutting through it. more likely they're talking about luoyang, with luo river running through the middle. it's the secondary capital of tang.

  • @mjr_schneider
    @mjr_schneider 4 ปีที่แล้ว +56

    "They say that these Indians who face the northern regions are actually born white..."
    Anyways, enough about that, moving on to silkworms.

    • @solaraspect5255
      @solaraspect5255 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Tocharians

    • @Novusod
      @Novusod 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It is the lost civilization of Tartaria. i.imgur.com/tujXDf4.jpg

    • @longyu9336
      @longyu9336 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@solaraspect5255 India is incredibly diverse and some Northern Indians indeed appear lightly skinned compared to their southern countrymen.

    • @Tzimiskes3506
      @Tzimiskes3506 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@longyu9336 mostly east indians such as the people of Assam and the sister states...

  • @davidvidmar3736
    @davidvidmar3736 4 ปีที่แล้ว +55

    Were there any other byzantine chroniclers that wrote about China?

    • @sebastianlodge7549
      @sebastianlodge7549 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Probably

    • @Fuchsia_tude
      @Fuchsia_tude 4 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Considering they had a whole special ops campaign to smuggle out silkworms and establish a homegrown silk industry--which succeeded--I'd say yes

    • @Altrantis
      @Altrantis 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@Fuchsia_tude They knew about their products a lot more than they knew about them as a people though.

    • @aokiaoki4238
      @aokiaoki4238 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Unfortunately Byzantine Historiography is so long that still remains unsearched.
      Michael VII send a team in Song Dynasty

    • @aokiaoki4238
      @aokiaoki4238 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Fuchsia_tude There was a silk industry since Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great imported silk worms and there was a wide production of silk

  • @fortred735
    @fortred735 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for another informative video on ancient China.

  • @robertmiles1603
    @robertmiles1603 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    fascinating. an excellent channel

  • @joshuab2437
    @joshuab2437 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Do ancient UFO accounts. These are also utterly fascinating.

  • @spacejunk2186
    @spacejunk2186 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    China is my city.

  • @gaslitworldf.melissab2897
    @gaslitworldf.melissab2897 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The word he pronounces "chagan" has many sibling words: - Recall the Great Kublai *Khan* of Imperial China, of Mongolic stock.
    Khanate (e.g., the Bulgar Khanate)
    - Ilkanate (e.g., the Persian Ilkanate)
    - Caliphate (e.g., the Abbasid Caliphate)
    - Sultinate (e.g., the Delhi Sultanate)
    - Emirate (e.g., the Sicilian Emirate)
    groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.english.usage/Z8MZ1WunE8o

  • @Palaelogus
    @Palaelogus 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Man, the Byzantines had a hard time trying to learn about China.

  • @user-ed9qu5im2y
    @user-ed9qu5im2y 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The Northern Dynasties cycled through a few dynasties, and the emperors of Northern Zhou dynasty (just before Sui) were of Xianbei descent. Not quite Sogdinian or Bactrian, but they were not Han either and like Sogdinians and Bactrians were "from the north" in a general sense. Even tho Xianbei was north and northeastern relative to the heartland of China, whereas Sogdinia and Bactria were norhwestern. So that may have been another source of confusion.

  • @tisFrancesfault
    @tisFrancesfault 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Those Turks... I'm sure they'll never amount to much. another nomadic tribe to be forgotten to history books.
    ...right?

    • @houstonhelicoptertours1006
      @houstonhelicoptertours1006 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Look what they are up to recently, all thanks to mentally challenged melon traders like Erdoğan. Atatürk spins in his tomb.

    • @thewinterlord1518
      @thewinterlord1518 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I’m pretty sure the Empire still entertains mutually advantageous relations with those Turks, against the Sassanids you know, doesn’t it?
      Waking up after 1500 years worth of coma would indeed not be nice.

  • @Ostarrichi996
    @Ostarrichi996 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Do you also have more content from the 11th - 15th century europe?

    • @qus.9617
      @qus.9617 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Do you mean chroniclers from Europe or chronicles of Europe?

    • @Ostarrichi996
      @Ostarrichi996 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@qus.9617 from europe

  • @SgtAndrewM
    @SgtAndrewM 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    greetings from the UK

  • @gofar5185
    @gofar5185 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank u for these info...

  • @kylefenrick7842
    @kylefenrick7842 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The people being buried alive while having space to move around, would make sense as to why so many luxuries were included for the more fortunate ones. Granted, as good of a fortune one could have, being buried alive.

  • @OmarSlloum
    @OmarSlloum 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Maybe you guys can make a video on the contact between the Abbasids and Tang. We once even sent a warband to help the emperor quell a rebellion. Their diplomacy has been very well documented so you should be able to find something.

    • @m.g.3013
      @m.g.3013 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      >We
      😂😂😂

    • @EinFelsbrocken
      @EinFelsbrocken 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@m.g.3013 Yeah right. But its a common problem; since ever; in all nationalities. People looking for identity and self-worth in the stories of the past.

    • @unifieddynasty
      @unifieddynasty 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      This was during the An Lushan rebellion right? It was really nice of the Abbasids to help out the Tang in their most dire time of need.

  • @fatihkoc7075
    @fatihkoc7075 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Its a good video but the Turk ruler(emperor) is not pronounced like Chaghan but rather Khaghan. Love your videos, hope u make more videos about Turks ör Central Asia.

  • @Hwyadylaw
    @Hwyadylaw 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I think "Chubdan" in Byzantine Greek was pronounced something like /xuvˈðan/ (or /xuˈvðan/?)

  • @damirradoncic7390
    @damirradoncic7390 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Could you please refer from using the word Bysantine? It is an slanderous term used by Germanic people to delegitimze the Roman Empire after its division into two administrative bodies (of which one was conqurered by said Germanic people).

  • @yaleyoon6856
    @yaleyoon6856 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    When I watched this video when it came out I was surprised that the author mentioned Korea as "Mucri" as well as other nieighbors of China like India

    • @yaleyoon6856
      @yaleyoon6856 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I researched and it looks like "Mucri" and "Böküli Čölüg" from the Orkhon Inscriptions are pointing to Koguryeo. Especially "Böküli Čölüg", b/c it sounds sort of similar to at least the current Chinese pronunciation of Koguryeo, "Gaogouli". But I don't know how "Mucri" was used to call Korea. Probably another even more corrupted version of the then-Chinese pronunciation of Koguryeo.

  • @evershumor1302
    @evershumor1302 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love the shorter video's

  • @caiawlodarski5339
    @caiawlodarski5339 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    China is my city

  • @FOLIPE
    @FOLIPE 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    The letter of Pero Vaz of the discovery of Brazil.

  • @qetoun
    @qetoun 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    All this guy does is read from old books whilst sitting in the bath smoking cigars all day! ...why didn't I think of it first!

  • @funkyfiss
    @funkyfiss 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Wait I am confused... I thought Alexander made it to India. Not China. Or am I wrong?

    • @saladcaesar7716
      @saladcaesar7716 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Ryan Lajara Bactria and China... Reminds me of the war of the heavenly horses.

    • @funkyfiss
      @funkyfiss 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @Ryan Lajara www.greecehighdefinition.com/blog/2019/2/12/ancient-greeks-travelled-to-china-1500-years-before-marco-polo-and-may-have-built-terracotta-army Actually on further inspection. Maybe the Byzantines were right after all.

    • @LeukipposOfAbdera
      @LeukipposOfAbdera 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      funkyfiss Can’t be denied.

  • @abdullah.a.nahyan
    @abdullah.a.nahyan 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    What would the people of the Roman Empire have thought if they came to know that after a thousand year later their state will be called Byzantine Empire!

    • @Hyrumwolf
      @Hyrumwolf 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I mean, it was stilled called the Roman Empire (Basilea Rhomaion). We just call it the Byzantine empire to distinguish it from its earlier history.

    • @davidk5954
      @davidk5954 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Outrage. It's not new, it started when the pope and Karl the butcher contested the title of Roman Emperor in 800 and started calling the Romans of the East "Greeks"

  • @pedroroque829
    @pedroroque829 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Byzantine my ass.
    Roman describes ancient China

  • @jonsmith5626
    @jonsmith5626 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Xi'an's ancient name was "Chang'an" which sounds a LOT closer to this Chubdan.

  • @Dugout97
    @Dugout97 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Looking forward to the Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks

  • @Joleyn-Joy
    @Joleyn-Joy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    1:13 coming from our perspective, him talking about Turks as if they weren't a nuisance to the empire is tragicomical.

    • @aidanator8008
      @aidanator8008 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      At the time the "Turks" that the Byzantines would've known would be the Gokturks and the Khazars, both of which the Byzantines had a more or less amicable relationship with, and oftentimes would work together with them to fight the common enemy of the Sassanid Persians/Arab Caliphate.

    • @user-cg2tw8pw7j
      @user-cg2tw8pw7j ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@aidanator8008No, they were traitors who betrayed the Romans in these wars 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

  • @The1Mustache3
    @The1Mustache3 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Think about those carriages...wow

  • @fabrizzioantoniodominguezp349
    @fabrizzioantoniodominguezp349 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Could you do a video about the battle of Cagayan?

  • @noxDOTevolvedDOTgmai
    @noxDOTevolvedDOTgmai 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    In Tang China, there was no pooh bear.

    • @StephenMortimer
      @StephenMortimer 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      just BARE POO ??

    • @poopypeepee3372
      @poopypeepee3372 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Liberty Prime its not like xi is worst than any other Chinese rulers. China has always been authoritarian.

    • @noxDOTevolvedDOTgmai
      @noxDOTevolvedDOTgmai 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@poopypeepee3372 But he is just a filthy commie, not an emperor.

  • @bigfootandmee
    @bigfootandmee 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    Yoo they get buried with their man?? thats crazy

    • @novaterra973
      @novaterra973 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Aye, the ritual burial lasted quite long in China. It was discontinued around the era described by this video, but reappeared during the early Ming Dynasty, before completely disappearing.

    • @riderallanlouis
      @riderallanlouis 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      In India wives were burnt alive with their husband body. The British stopped this practice just recently

    • @tomnook9270
      @tomnook9270 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Only for the emperor though. There is no written law or custom regarding one's death(other than wearing white jute clothes instead of silk for 3 years if I remembered correctly) in ancient China but horny emperors would usually demand his concubines to be buried with him. The only exception would be the Shamanist Shang dynasty where numerous slaves and women would be buried alive alongside the King(before Qin dynasty's unification so no emperor yet) as a religious practice, but Shang culture is based heavily on Shamanism instead of the Mandate of Heaven belief or Confucianism/Taoism and is hence rarely seen as a "proper" Chinese dynasty, much like the Mongolian Yuan dynasty founded by Kublai Khan

    • @michaelbarrett3229
      @michaelbarrett3229 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Go check out their video on Ibn Fadlan’s account of a Viking funeral. It’s much worse than this.

    • @malahamavet
      @malahamavet 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@michaelbarrett3229 I don't know, I rather get stabbed than get buried or burned alive, but it's still wrong, of course

  • @MbisonBalrog
    @MbisonBalrog 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Do they mention China ? Went passed me

  • @arianrezaie4729
    @arianrezaie4729 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    The citys you mentiond had large iranian comunitys during this period and persians were a visible minority in china untill the ming dynasty later on during the bizentine sassanian war of 602-628 the chines actually aided the romans in every way thay could(the tang had just taken power and the sassanid had allied with the sui)and the sassanians were also fighting whit gurk turks and ethiopia needless to say they lost and in the end the sassanians fled to china in the end ther fears of china+rome had came true in this wikipedia page its said some more about persians in china en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranians_in_China

  • @UranijaZeus
    @UranijaZeus 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    White Croats, yass! We have arrived just about then.

  • @paiwanhan
    @paiwanhan 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wouldn't Qaghan be pronounced as /qaγan/ ?

  • @StudioArtFX
    @StudioArtFX 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    In what language was this originally written? Have to wonder about that translation.

    • @francis6489
      @francis6489 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      This was originally a Greek text.

  • @windywendi
    @windywendi 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Oh, how coincidental it was that a millennium later, the Byzantines were to be completely wiped out by the Turks aformentioned

    • @eustacemcgoodboy9702
      @eustacemcgoodboy9702 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Assisted by the Pope who wanted to destroy the true church of Christ in the East. Catholic crusaders sacked and destroyed Constantinople and they never recovered from that back stab.

    • @longyu9336
      @longyu9336 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@eustacemcgoodboy9702 If you think about it, Crusader knights from England, France and Germany are the descendants of the barbarian warbands that sacked Rome in the first place.

    • @serafeimlightbringer9677
      @serafeimlightbringer9677 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@longyu9336 No, the descendants of those are the Italians.

  • @pandaman2234
    @pandaman2234 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    "These Indians were born white". Is it possible that some Indo-Eurapion people living in northern India had not intermixed with the local population at this point?

    • @Marci124
      @Marci124 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I think it's referring to literally being born paler than they are in adulthood. It's this way for lots of peoples I guess. I also don't think the term "white" was a customary way to describe ethnicities back then, so maybe the effect was striking and that's how these rumors got around. I have a friend whose eyes were pale in infacy and turned chestnut brown later, such pigmentation changes can occur.

    • @woody500z
      @woody500z 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I was thinking the same thing, we know for sure that Indo-Europeans branched off into China (and perhaps brought Buddhism?). Maybe this was a remnant population being described, though it is plausible it is far from being able to say it is factual in the context of this video.

    • @eustacemcgoodboy9702
      @eustacemcgoodboy9702 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Lithuanian and Latvian are both Pan-Indo-European languages and have more in common with Hindii than any European language. If you want to know what Arayans in Northern Indian looked like, look at Balts ("Balt" or "Balti" literally means "white" in their language).

    • @banjiu10
      @banjiu10 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      He could also refer to the Hephthalites, the "White Huns", that have entered northern India before.

  • @gaslitworldf.melissab2897
    @gaslitworldf.melissab2897 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Yaaay.

  • @El-Californio
    @El-Californio 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Admits they use gold inlay and silk production- still calls them b barbarians 🙄

    • @lysytoszef
      @lysytoszef 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      The word "barbarian" didn't necessary had to to with wealth or social complexity. It comes from greeks calling non-greeks out for making "bar-bar" noises, as in, not speaking greek langauge. So the original meaning of barbarian is just someone who does not speak greek.

    • @malahamavet
      @malahamavet 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Hi, I translate Latin and Greek texts 😁 I can ensure you 100% that barbarian means non Greek. They use the term for both languages and people, it doesn't mean anything bad, it means foreigner.
      The word got a respective meaning later, I'm not sure when. Many societies have their own words for describing foreigners. That's why we shouldn't keep using barbarian as an insult. You also have the word alien (alienus) which doesn't have anything to do with space creatures🤣 it's just something or someone from another place or belonging to another.

  • @ojberrettaberretta5314
    @ojberrettaberretta5314 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    mucri....hm

  • @unifieddynasty
    @unifieddynasty 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    SEVEN. HUNDRED. WOMEN. 😳

  • @Whatshappening2024
    @Whatshappening2024 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    700 women, legend hah

  • @Logan_Bishop_YT
    @Logan_Bishop_YT 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    0:29 What the Hell is "Chagan"? I think you Mean "Khagan," as in the "Avar Khaganate."
    1:49 Yeah, until this "Mucri" Got Bitch-slapped by the Mongols!
    3:10 Wait, were the "Northern/Southern Dynasties the Northern Wei and Liu Song?
    3:28 No, sir, I don't think He ever Made it that Far. He only made it as Far as Punjab, called by the Greeks "Pentapotamia."
    3:34 I Highly Doubt The Place He's Referring to is Turkmenistan! COME ON!!!
    4:15 Xian??!! Yeah, of this, I cannot accept at all as True.
    4:26 That was a Custom in Qin China, when the Emperor had Wives that did not Bare him Children. Interesting Fact: Did you Know, that "Qin" maybe the Native Derivative for China? The Greeks called China "Sinai," and the Chinese they called "Sinoi," At least, when they Knew about Them. Does "Sinai" Sound Familiar to you? I think the Sinites of the Sinai Peninsula were the Ancestors of the Qin and the Han Chinese. That said, I think Manchuria is full of the Descendants of the Ancient Hittites. (Hitti = Heth = Cheth = Cathay = Manchuria).
    4:47 They are talking about the Indo-Iranians that Thrive there.

  • @ze1888
    @ze1888 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    很奇怪,很混乱,中国怎么是那样的??

  • @harbinger200
    @harbinger200 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    "Byzantine" is a modern invented word real country was called Romea, and they where pure Romans, not anything else.

  • @mimief7969
    @mimief7969 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Taugast isn't China, it's a place on the Tibetan plateau, south of Xia, etc. It's Tuoba, but a weird take on the Turkic name for it, one of the states on the Silk Road. Maybe that's "China", the modern nation state, but it isn't dynastic China...

  • @micahhammac1242
    @micahhammac1242 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Master of seven races, we are full of ourselves.

  • @GG-iz3wp
    @GG-iz3wp 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    :)

  • @johnnywrither128
    @johnnywrither128 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    4:40 Interesting. That might explain the caucasian mummies in the Chinese pyramids. Also, here's two interesting books:
    'New Views On The Origin Of The Frisians, Magyar, Inca, Shang, and Mayan Cultures'
    all-ez.com/frisian-inka.htm
    golenya-agnes.hu/media/files/Munda_Magyar_Maori.pdf

    • @CoolioXXX52
      @CoolioXXX52 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      refering to northern indiands

  • @nativelatinosfooktrump5348
    @nativelatinosfooktrump5348 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    🍺 many Europeans did not bathe. When Montezuma met Cortez he had to burn tortillas because Cortez and his company smelled awful

    • @arberor4597
      @arberor4597 4 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      @NATIVE LATINOS Fook TRUMP
      This is about the Byzantine empire. The Byzantine empire in the 7th century was one of if not the most advanced civilization at the time. Hosting great library and the university of Constantinople.
      At this time much of the world were hunter gathers, in the Americas most were hunter gathers

    • @CaptMarvelous
      @CaptMarvelous 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      You should change your username to 'SALTY LATINO'. Much more fitting. 🤣👍

    • @timberthus2562
      @timberthus2562 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Yeah, I'd imagine there's little time for bathing when you're leading a campaign in a land you don't know, against an enemy that outnumbers you 100 to 1.

    • @nativelatinosfooktrump5348
      @nativelatinosfooktrump5348 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yung cash register A.K.A Lil Broomstick lol💩

    • @nativelatinosfooktrump5348
      @nativelatinosfooktrump5348 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Quodlibeta lol my DNA one hundred percent Native American not some Gypsy Spaniard

  • @ognjengaric2687
    @ognjengaric2687 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    China is my city