rome, china, and the barbarians...views of barbarians in the greco-roman tradition views of...

Cambridge University Press978-1-108-47395-8 — Rome, China, and the BarbariansRandolph B. Ford FrontmatterMore Information

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ROME, CHINA, AND THE BARBARIANS

This book addresses a largely untouched historical problem: thefourth to fifth centuries witnessed remarkably similar patternsof foreign invasion, conquest, and political fragmentation in Romeand China. Yet while the Western Roman Empire was never reestab-lished, China was reunified at the end of the sixth century. Followinga comparative discussion of earlier historiographical and ethnographictraditions in the classical Greco-Roman and Chinese worlds, thebook turns to the late antique/early medieval period, when theWestern Roman Empire “fell” and China was reconstituted as aunited empire after centuries of foreign conquest and political divi-sion. Analyzing the discourse of ethnic identity in the historical textsof this later period, with original translations by the author, the bookexplores the extent to which notions of Self and Other, of “barbarian”and “civilized,” help us understand both the transformation of theRoman world as well as the restoration of a unified imperial China.

. currently teaches Roman history at the StateUniversity of New York at Albany. He has previously taught Romanhistory, Rome–China comparative history, and Latin language at theUniversity of Notre Dame. He obtained his doctorate at New YorkUniversity’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, and hisresearch has concentrated on comparative approaches to the study ofthe Greco-Roman world and ancient China.

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ROME, CHINA, AND THE

BARBARIANS

Ethnographic Traditions and the Transformationof Empires

RANDOLPH B. FORDState University of New York, Albany




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: Rome, China, and the barbarians : ethnographic traditions and the transformation of empires /Randolph B. Ford, State University of New York, Albany.

: Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York : Cambridge University Press, [] |Includes bibliographical references and index.

: (print) | (ebook) | (hardback) | (paperback) | (epub)

: : History, Ancient–Historiography. | Imperialism–History. | China–Ethnicrelations–History–To . | National characteristics, Chinese–History–To . |China–History– B.C.– A.D. | Rome–History–Empire, B.C.– A.D. |

Rome–History–Germanic Invasions, rd-th centuries. | Group identity–Rome–History. |National characteristics, Roman.

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In loving memory of Mary Burch Tracy Ford




Contents

List of Maps page ixAcknowledgments xixA Note to the Reader xx

Introduction Comparative History of Greece-Rome and China Roman Late Antiquity and Early Medieval China: Brief Historical Background Primary Questions and Approaches

Ethnography in the Classical Age The Greco-Roman Ethnographic Tradition The Chinese Ethnographic Tradition Explanatory Paradigms in the Greco-Roman and Chinese Traditions Conclusions

The Barbarian and Barbarian Antitheses The Term “Barbarian” and Its Chinese Equivalents Views of Barbarians in the Greco-Roman Tradition Views of Barbarian Others in Ancient China Conclusions

Ethnography in a Post-Classical Age: The EthnographicTradition in the Wars and the Jin shu 晉書 Perpetuation of the Barbarian Antithesis Ethnographic Continuity Ethnographic Paradigms Ethnography and the New Barbarians Conclusions

New Emperors and Ethnographic Clothes: The Representationof Barbarian Rulers Barbarian Figures in the Wars Barbarian Figures in the Jin shu Conclusions

vii




The Confluence of Ethnographic Discourse and PoliticalLegitimacy: Rhetorical Arguments on the Legitimacy ofBarbarian Kingdoms Political Legitimacy Speeches in Greco-Roman and Chinese Historiography Speeches in the Jin shu Speeches in the Wars Conclusions

Conclusion

Bibliography Index

viii Contents




Maps

Rome in AD page x Rome in AD xi Rome in AD xii Han dynasty at its greatest extent xiii Northern China in AD xiv Northern China in AD xiv Northern China in AD xv Northern China in AD xv Northern China in AD xvi Särbi-Xianbei Northern Wei dynasty; Chinese Liu

Song dynasty xvi Särbi-Xianbei Northern Zhou and Northern Qi dynasties;

Chinese Chen dynasty xvii Tang dynasty c. AD xviii

ix




0 500 1000 1500 km

0 500 1000 miles

Tarraco

Burdigala

Caesarea

Tingi

Cordoba

EmeritaAugusta

Narbo

Durocortorum

Londinium

Caralis

Carthage

Lambaesis

Syracusae

Misenum Capua

SalonaeRavenna

MutinaCemenelum

Lugdunum

Roma

FRISII CHAUCI SUEBI

G E R M A N I

CHATTI

MARCOMANNI

QUADI

IAZYGES

S A R M AT I A N S

BASTARNAE

ROXOLANI

REGNUMBOSPORI

Thessalonica

Nicopolis

Perinthus

TomiViminacium

Sarizegetusa

AquincumVirunum

Carnuntum AugustaVindelicorum

ColoniaAgrippina

Moguntiacum

Corinthus

Gortyna

Cyrene

Alexandria

Caesarea Bostra

Paphus

PergeEphesus

Nicomedia

Ancyra

Tarsus

Caesarea

Antiochia

SCYTHIANS

ALANS

Hatra

Arbela

Gazaka

IBERIA

ALBANIA

ArtaxataARMENIA

PARTHIAN EMPIRESousa

Kharax

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RagaiHekatompylos

MithradatakertaATROPATENE

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Extent of the Roman Empire in A.D. 120

Boundary of the Parthian Empire

Land over 1000 metres

Map Rome in AD




0 500 1000 1500 km

0 500 1000 miles

Tingis

Toledo

Tarragona

Syracuse

Rome

Ravenna

Milan

ArlesToulouse

Clermont

Tours

Paris

Trier

Thessalonica

Athens

Salonae

Sirmium

Adrianople

Serdica

NicomediaNicaea

Constantinople

Cyrene

Alexandria

Carthage

Caesarea

Jerusalem

Damascus

Antioch Arbela

Artaxata

Susa

Ctesiphon

Ecbatana

Nisibis

Palmyra


Boundary of the Persian Empire

Boundaries of Barbarian Kingdoms


VANDALS

M O O R S

BASQUES

BURGUNDI

F R A N K S

RUGI

SCLAVENI ANTAE

SU

EV

I

P ICT

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T H U R I N

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ALAM

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OSTRO

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THSV I

S IG

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Lilybaeum

LOMBARDS

G

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N o r t h

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NT

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a

M e d i t er

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IBER I A

ALB

A

NIA

S CO

T S

BR

ET

ON

S AN G

L O- S A

X ON S

Map Rome in AD




0 500 1000 1500 km

0 500 1000 miles

Tingis

Toledo

Tarragona

Syracuse

Rome

Ravenna

Milan

ArlesToulouse

Clermont

Tours

ParisTrier

Thessalonica

Athens

Salonae

Sirmium

Adrianople

Serdica

NicomediaNicaea

Constantinople

Cyrene

Alexandria

Carthage

Caesarea

Jerusalem

Damascus

Antioch Arbela

Artaxata

Susa

Ctesiphon

Ecbatana

Nisibis

Palmyra


Boundary of the Persian Empire

Boundaries of Barbarian Kingdoms


M O O R S

BASQUES

SCLAVENI ANTAE

SU

EV

I

P ICT

S

V I S IG O

T HS

Lilybaeum

LOMB

ARDS

G E PI D S

KUTRIGURS U T I

G U RS

P E R S I A N E M P I R E

B l a c k S e a

Ca

sp

ia

nS

ea

N o r t h

S e a

AT

LA

NT

IC

OC

EA

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Re

dS

ea

Pe

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B al t

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Se

a

M e d i t er

ra

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S e a

IBER I A

ALB

A

NIA

S CO

T S

BR

ET

ON

S AN G

L O- S A

X ON S

Cordoba

Hippo

F RA

NK

S

G E R M AN

I CT R I B E S

T U R K SAVARS

Map Rome in AD




0 500 1000 1500 2000 km

0 500250 750 1000 miles

Longxi

Chang’an

Luoyang

Taiyuan

Yingdu

Linqiang

Changsha

Nanhai

Qiang

Xiongnu

Di

Yuzhang

Wu

Linhuai

Shu

Anyi

Wusun

PingyangLinzi

JiDunhuangJiuquan

Turfan

Hotan

Kashgar

Kucha

Wuhuan

Ba

Chenli

Jiaozhi

Wangxian

Särbi-Xianbei

Xuchang

Map Han dynasty at its greatest extent




0 250 500 750 km

0 200 400 miles

Eastern Jin

Jiankang

Rouran

Chenghan

Chengdu

Wudu

Later ZhaoTuyuhun

Former Liang

Qiang

Guzang

Shengle

Chouchi

Ye

Chang’an

Former YanDai

Luoyang

Map Northern China in AD

0 250 500 750 km

0 200 400 miles

Eastern Jin

Jiankang

Chenghan

Chengdu

Wudu

Luoyang

Former ZhaoTiefu

XiongnuTuyuhun

Former Liang

Qiang

Guzang

Shengle

Tabgach Särbi-Xianbei

Murong Särbi-Xianbei

Chouchi

Ye

Chang’an

Särbi-Xianbei





0 250 500 750 km

0 200 400 miles

Eastern Jin

Jiankang

Rouran

Chengdu

Tuyuhun

Qiang

Guzang

Shengle

Ye

Chang’an

FormerQin

Luoyang

Khitan


0 250 500 750 km

0 200 400 miles

Eastern Jin

Jiankang

Rouran

Chengdu

Tuyuhun

Guzang

Shengle

Ye

Chang’an

Later Qin

Luoyang

Western Liang

Khitan

LaterYan

Longcheng

Pingcheng

Northern Wei

GuangguSouthern

Yan

WuduChouchi

SouthernLiang

NorthernLiang

Jiuquan

Zhangye





0 250 500 750 km

0 200 400 miles

Rouran

Dunhuang

Yiwu

Xirong Xiaoweifu

Yanqi

Khitan

Goguryeo

Tuyuhun

Northern Wei

Lui Song

Shu

Ba

Yunnan

Jiaozhi

Nanhai

Lingling

TianmenJiangxia

Yiyang

Kuaiji

Jiankang

Liangzhou

WoyeShengle

Huaihuang

Tongwan

Jincheng

Yongzhou

Jizhou

Youzhou

Pingcheng

Bingzhou

LuoyangLongxi

Map Särbi-Xianbei Northern Wei dynasty; Chinese Liu Song dynasty

0 250 500 750 km

0 200 400 miles

Liu Song

Jiankang

Rouran

Chengdu

Tuyuhun

Guzang

Shengle

Ye

Chang’an

XiongnuXia

Luoyang

Northern Liang

Khitan

Northern Yan

Longcheng

Pingcheng

Northern Wei

GuangguSouthern

Yan

WuduChouchi

Zhangye

Jincheng

TongwanW

este

rnQ

in





0 250 500 750 km

0 200 400 miles

Turks

Dunhuang

Khitan

Goguryeo

Tuyuhun

Chen

Shu

Ba

Jiaozhi

Nanhai

Lingling

TianmenJiangxia

Kuaiji

Jiankang

Zhangye

Woye

Tongwan

Jincheng

Chang’an

Jizhou

Youzhou

Bingzhou

LuoyangLongxi

Northern Zhou

Northern QiYe

Liang

Map Särbi-Xianbei Northern Zhou and Northern Qi dynasties; ChineseChen dynasty




0 500 1000 1500 2000 km

0 500250 750 1000 miles

Fengxiang Chang’anLuoyang

Taiyuan

Xiangzhou

Jianqling

Qianzhou

Guangzhou

Tuyuhun

Eastern Turks

Tufan

Hengzhou

XuanSuzhou

Yangzhou

Chengdufu

Hezhong

Western Turks

Wei

Yingzhou

Bianzhou

Jizhou

Shanzhou

DunhuangJiuquan

TurfanQarahisar

Hotan

Kashgar

Kucha

Khitan

Goguryeo

SillaBaekje

Map Tang dynasty c. AD




Acknowledgments

There are many scholars and mentors whose teaching and generosity havemade this book possible. For my early studies, I would like to thank NickDoane, John Niles, and especially Kirsten Wolf for their guidance andinstruction. For later mentorship, I am most indebted to David Leveneand Nicola Di Cosmo, without whose direction this book would not havecome into being. Nicola Di Cosmo took the time back in to respondto an unexpected email from an unknown student in an unrelated fieldand later to advise me as a member of my dissertation committee. DavidLevene was willing not only to take on the role of advisor to an additionalstudent outside of his own department but also to provide invaluableand generous guidance and support throughout my graduate studies andbeyond. I would also like to express my gratitude to David Konstan andHelmut Reimitz, who have both gone far out of their way to openacademic doors for me and to provide most helpful direction and feedbackon my research. David Konstan in particular has been extremely generouswith his time and counsel, for which I am deeply indebted. For theirfeedback on the manuscript of this book, I would like to thank both theanonymous reviewer and Geoffrey Greatrex, whose comments have greatlyimproved the quality of the work. I would also like to thank Roger Bagnall,Christopher Baron, Brian Ford, Rania Huntington, Josh Mannis, Eliza-beth and Tadeusz Mazurek, Hildegund Müller, William Nienhauser,Charles Pazdernik, Walter Pohl, Sören Stark, New York University’sInstitute for the Study of the Ancient World, and the University of NotreDame. Lastly, my gratitude goes to my wife, daughters, father, andbrother – my reduced but growing family.

xix




A Note to the Reader

In the hope of making this book as accessible as possible to non-specialists,a number of small measures have been taken. First, abbreviations of titlesof texts have been kept to a bare minimum. Second, Chinese characterswill be provided on the first appearance of proper nouns in each chapter; ininstances where different Chinese characters have the same Romanizedwritten form, characters will also be provided to avoid ambiguity. Third,dates (or approximate dates) for primary texts have been supplied follow-ing the individual entry headings in the bibliography.

xx

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