#CULTURES NORTHLAND CREATING MERCHANT SERIES#

Many Sogdians in China actively assimilated, and over several generations their distinctive Sogdian identity was lost. 757 CE) against the Tang emperor in the 750s CE led to a decline in the fortunes of many in the Sogdian communities there, as they were increasingly treated with suspicion and even hostility. In China, the rebellion of the Sogdian-Turkic general An Lushan (d. In Sogdiana, the great sweep eastward of Muslim armies in the 7th and 8th centuries CE led to the collapse of the local Sogdian ruling families, and the gradual conversion of Sogdiana to Islam as it was absorbed into successive Muslim empires. 16.ĭespite the Sogdians’ central role in the workings of the Silk Roads, these people were largely forgotten and lost to history for a thousand years. Christianity and Manichaeism also spread partly through Sogdiana and by Sogdian hands Fig. Sogdiana and its network of caravan routes reaching to China also provided a key conduit for the eastward spread of Buddhism Xuanzang Learn more about the Chinese Buddhist traveler Xuanzang. We know, for example, that some of the early translators of Buddhist scriptures were of Sogdian origin. Thus they were also ideally placed to play the roles of diplomats and transmitters of religious texts and ideas. The Sogdian language Sogdian Language and Its Scripts Learn more about the Sogdian language served as the lingua franca of the Silk Road, and many Sogdians were able to speak multiple languages due to the necessities of trade and the profitability of translations. Such dancing was often performed in the local taverns and this, combined with the fact that wine shops in China were frequently run by Sogdians, may have led to the “drunken Sogdian” becoming a stock character in Chinese and Japanese culture. In particular, the energetic “Sogdian Whirl” became a hit across all echelons of Chinese society Fig. Such fascination with foreign dress was linked to the popularity-from courtly circles to neighborhood gathering places-of foreign food, music and musical instruments, and dance. There the Sogdians and what they traded found much favor Fig. This was especially true in Tang-era China (618–907 CE), which was a culture characterized by its love of the “exotic” and foreign. The individuality of their culture-its seeming “otherness” and distinctiveness-was part of what the Sogdians packaged and sold abroad. Their flexibility meant that they could adapt to foreign cultures, languages, and make profit of new opportunities as they emerged. This mobility meant that they could connect distant regions, doing business in goods that could find ready markets in faraway places. Rather, the Sogdians made a virtue of their mobility, flexibility, and individuality. The people of Sogdiana certainly had armies, engaged in military campaigns, and fortified their towns to defend against the constant threat of nomads from the steppes who coveted the Sogdians’ wealth-but their success was not defined by military might. 1.īranching out from these oasis towns, the Sogdians set up merchant communities as they traveled, living under the aegis of various imperial powers.

#CULTURES NORTHLAND CREATING MERCHANT SERIES#

More accurately, we should say the “Silk Roads,” as they were really a series of routes connecting various parts of Asia Fig. Almost 2,000 years ago there was a group of influencers who, while relatively few in number and limited in political power, helped to change the world around them. In fact, though, today’s influencers are not the first to reach across networks in this way. It is tempting to think that such influencers are a new phenomenon, facilitated by new technologies of communication. In our interconnected world, such influencers can have great reach, across continents and cultures. Rather, they use their social networks, access to specialist knowledge or goods, and cultural “cool” to shape the ways we behave. Such influencers do not rely on political power or authority. Our world is shaped by influencers: people whose behavior and attitudes set the trends for what to wear, what to eat, what to like, what to buy.

Cultures northland creating merchant