076: Greco-Bactria - Han China and the War of the Heavenly Horses

The Hellenistic Age Podcast

History

4.7 • 558 Ratings

🗓️ 21 July 2022

⏱️ 58 minutes

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Summary

In 128 B.C., an explorer and diplomat named Zhang Qian had arrived in the Ferghana Valley in modern Uzbekistan. As the first known Chinese visitor in Central Asia, he was originally tasked by the Han Emperor Wudi to seek an alliance with the Yuezhi nomads, who migrated to Bactria in the 130s and contributed to the collapse of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. Though the alliance fell through, Zhang’s reports on the wealthy lands of “Daxia” and “Dayuan” tantalized the Emperor’s political ambitions, resulting in waves of Han embassies and armies being sent to the so-called “Western Regions”. A burgeoning trade network soon arose as East Asia and the Mediterranean worlds became ever closer, prompting expeditions by the Chinese to make contact with the mysterious Da Qin (Roman Empire), whose aristocrats demanded the goods produced by the equally mysterious “Seres” (“Silk Peoples”). Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/07/21/076-greco-bactria-han-china-and-the-war-of-the-heavenly-horses/) Episode 076 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/076-greco-bactria-han-china-and-the-war-of-the-heavenly-horses.pdf) The Hellenistic Far East Map 3 - Zhang Qian in Central Asia (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/map-3-zhang-qian-in-central-asia.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi there, you're listening to the Hellenistic Age podcast. Episode 76, Greco-Bactria, Han China, and the War of the Heavenly Horses.
0:26.6	In the year 128 BC, a Chinese diplomat named Zhang Chen had reached the eastern end of the Fergana
0:34.0	valley in modern Kazakhstan.
0:36.5	He had traveled many thousands of Li from the court
0:39.0	of the Emperor Wu Di in Chang'an in pursuit of one goal. Contact the Yue Shi and Wusun nomads
0:46.5	who lived within the lands of Da Yuan, and established an alliance against the Shongnu barbarians
0:52.3	that had threatened the Middle Kingdom for decades.
0:55.5	No doubt those in the Emperor's retinue thought he was long dead, his journey interrupted
1:00.2	by an extended stay against his will in the Shongnu capital.
1:04.2	While he met with the U.S. Shi without much success, our plucky diplomat returned to the Emperor
1:09.3	in 126, with news of a land of riches.
1:13.5	More specifically, he was speaking of Bactria and its surrounding regions.
1:18.7	Zheng Chen holds distinction of being the first documented visitor from the Chinese Empire of the
1:23.8	Han Dynasty to Central Asia, which had just experienced the fall of the Greco-Bactrian
1:28.9	kingdom. This marked the beginning of a transformative period that saw increased connectivity
1:34.1	between China and the so-called Western regions, which would ultimately result in the
1:39.1	forging of an economic network that would reach from East Asia to the Mediterranean world.
1:45.1	Jung's report, recorded by later Chinese historians, is one of the only contemporary accounts
1:50.8	of post-Greek Bactria, making the fall of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom the first event in world
1:56.5	history recorded by both Asian and European authors.
2:00.5	In this episode, we will discuss the first Chinese excursions into Central Asia,
2:05.6	looking at the expeditions of Zhang Chin and others to not only get an idea of the events
	...

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