古代中国和罗马—早期拜占庭帝国间的丝绸之路贸易概论

公元前2世纪末,丝绸之路开通后一直延伸至地中海东岸地区,丝绸被源源不断地输往西方。公元前27年,罗马帝国建立,控制了丝绸之路西段(2)。随着罗马帝国国内市场的扩大,对丝绸等东方商品的需求不断增加,与中国的贸易也取得了迅速发展,中国丝绸通过馈赠、售卖等方式向西方流通。拜占庭帝国早期,国家垄断了丝织业,严格监督和管理丝绸进口贸易,通过草原丝绸之路和中亚民族的转运,从中国进口丝绸。公元6世纪后期,中国的养蚕制丝技术传至拜占庭帝国,自此,西方人首次掌握了中国的制丝工艺,对西方丝织业的发展影响深远。与中国丝绸西传罗马—拜占庭帝国相对,罗马帝国的宝石、玻璃和织品等商品也通过丝绸之路贸易传入中国,与罗马帝国同期的中国史籍记载的大量罗马物产信息证明了一些罗马商品已被中国人熟知。     

从窖藏和沉船瓷器看景德镇瓷器外销兴旺的历史背景

自古以来,中国与西方的交通往来,主要是通过西域与南海两条路线。陆路称“丝路”,始于汉代。当时西方的罗马帝国需要中国特产丝绸,这类产品经南新疆到波斯,再南波斯至叙利亚,抵达地中海腓尼基及巴勒斯坦等国的各大商埠、这条线路被称之为“丝绸来往的大道”,简称为“丝路”。唐代中国瓷器也是经由这条线路运销到西方诸国。除汉、唐陆上“丝路”之外,以后又开辟了一条海上通道。唐代中国的交州（交趾郡）、广州、泉州和扬州等四大港口,就是中国瓷器的出口商港,其中以广州和扬州为主,又称之为“海上瓷器之路”。     

古代丝绸贸易与宗教活动

丝纺织品及原料是古代世界的长途贸易中的重要商品。罗马帝国、印度、波斯、中亚各国以及中国古代的上层人物都很喜欢这种美丽的纺织品,用穿戴丝绸锦绣来表现自己的高贵身份。宗教信徒们选择最好的丝织品用来装饰他们的崇拜对象以表示自己的虔诚,这类的需求使得丝绸贸易大有利可图。商人们在厚利驱使之下往来于欧亚大陆的古道上,历尽千辛     

古丝道的变迁

中国和罗马帝国相隔万里,两大文明古国在东西两方遥遥相对。公元4世纪,罗马帝国的政治中心移到君士坦丁堡(今伊斯坦布尔),后来成为东罗马帝国的首都。君士坦丁堡地处欧、亚两洲之间,是当时最大的贸易市场,丝绸之路将它和当时东方最繁华的城市——长安联络在一起,这对东西方政治、经济和文化的交流,以及人类文明,产生了深远的影响。     

粟特文买婢契与丝绸之路上的女奴贸易

丝绸之路开通后,中国的丝织品很快打入罗马市场,罗马贵族乃至平民百姓都以穿戴丝绸为荣。由于对丝绸需求量迅速增长,造成罗马帝国财政严重出超。罗马作家老普林尼(公元23～79年)在他的《自然史》(XⅡ.84)中惊呼:"我国每年至少有一亿赛斯塔钱(约合十万盎斯黄金)被印度、赛里斯(即中国)和阿拉伯半岛夺走。"然而,中国古代遗址内几乎未发现     

千年沧桑丝绸路

千年沧桑丝绸路徐庆全＂条条大路通罗马＂,这句流行于西方的民间俗语,据传说是两千多年前,在罗马经商的商人的口头禅。那时,精明的罗马人控制了地中海沿岸的交通要道,商业贸易非常繁荣。与此同时,在远隔罗马七千公里的东方：一个与罗马帝国相媲美的帝国──大汉帝国...     

古罗马失踪军团来到甘肃之谜

公元前53年,罗马帝国大军入侵伊朗,伊朗军队围歼,6000余罗马军队突围,逃现今的哈萨克斯坦,后为西汉陈汤收降,回中国,安置在永昌县。甘肃省永昌县城南10公里处的者来寨,我国西汉元帝时期在这里设置“骊罢”,用来安置古罗马帝国降人。人们也许会,古代中国从未和罗马帝国交战,罗马降从何而来?这是一件历史悬案,萦绕在人类史上两千年。为揭开世界上这一桩重大历史悬案,学家们为此而苦苦探索。这桩历史悬案起因于一场惨烈的古代争,即公元前53年,也就是中国西汉甘露年。当时的罗马帝国的执政官克拉苏,纠7个军团、约4.5万人的兵力,发动了对古安息,…     

评《中国与拜占庭帝国关系研究》

除了亚历山大东征外,古代中国与希腊—罗马世界的交流,主要有三个繁荣阶段:两汉与罗马帝国时期、隋唐帝国和拜占庭帝国时期以及蒙古帝国时期.因此研究中古时代的中西关系,必须重视中国与拜占庭帝国的联系.拜占庭帝国(即东罗马帝国)脱胎于4世纪上半叶的罗马帝国,于5世纪末6世纪初走向强盛.此时的隋唐帝国是中国的一大辉煌期,这为双方的频繁交流提供了条件.随着7世纪中叶阿拉伯的兴起,拜占庭与中国的经济联系被切断,因此,双方的交流以六七世纪最为频繁.     

明代澳门与海上丝绸之路

海上丝绸之路,顾名思义,是以中国享誉世界的丝绸命名的,以中国丝绸占主导地位的东西方交往的海上通道。它的产生正是由于自古以来中国丝绸就是这一通道上的主要输出品,丝绸自东到西,连接了东方与西方,成为中国与西方经济文化交往的海上纽带,而这条纽带的形成,是古代东西方各国人民共同劳动的结晶。就这个意义而言,１６—１７世纪中叶的海上丝绸之路,谈不上发生自东向西至自西向东的转向,毕竟当时的欧洲尚拿不出能够与东方抗衡的商品,中国丝绸仍旧在东西方交往中占有不可替代的重要地位,因此,不能把当时的海上丝绸之路完全简单…     

社会风尚的沦丧与罗马帝国的灭亡

地跨亚欧非三大洲的罗马帝国,其衰亡原因一直备受关注。中外学者的观点主要有:人口下降论,土壤枯竭论等不下几十种主流观点,但帝国衰亡的主要原因都直接或间接的与社会风尚的沦丧有着千丝万缕的联系,探究社会风尚的沦丧与罗马帝国的灭亡之间的关系,将有助于我们加深对罗马帝国灭亡的认识。     

Balancing the Trade: Roman Cargo Shipments to India

There has been a continuing debate about the extent to which the Roman Empire suffered an economic imbalance in its trade with India (and more broadly the East), that is to say whether in volume or value the Roman Empire imported more than it exported. This imbalance is often thought to be manifested in the export of Roman gold and silver to India and the connected notion that other goods from the Roman Empire were seen as merely items of ballast. It is the intention of this article to place this debate in a practical context by demonstrating not only the physical need for mixed cargoes on ships sailing to India, but also the negligible amount of space taken up by the gold and silver. It is argued that in terms of volume (if not value) goods in kind were far more significant.     

萨珊波斯帝国在拜占廷金币传入过程中的影响

地处东西两大文明交汇点的萨珊波斯帝国,不仅本身创造出灿烂辉煌的文明,也为东西商贸文化交流做出了巨大的贡献。本文以中国出现之拜占廷金币及其仿制品为线索,考察萨珊波斯帝国在罗马帝国（及拜占廷帝国）与东方之间的联系作用,证明它在拜占廷金币向东传播、流向中国的过程中有着非常重要的影响,是古代东西经济文化交流的重要媒介之一。     

关于罗马-高卢城市兴起的几个因素

罗马的高卢行省深受帝国城市化运动的影响,在城市兴起与发展的过程中独具特征。在某种意义上,高卢城市的兴起与发展带动了整个帝国城市化运动的发展。促进高卢城市兴起有几个因素,即高卢原有的城市因素——奥必达、希腊殖民地的城市因素和罗马化的城市因素,对这些因素在高卢城市兴起的历史进程中彼此继承改造的关系、融合的过程和具备的创新意义等展开具体分析,有助于认识高卢城市兴起的基本条件和历史动因,进一步加深对罗马帝国城市化运动性质的理解。     

CELTIC PERMANENCE OR ROMAN CHANGE? ROMAN BRITTANY REVISITED

Summary. The purpose of this paper is to examine the common belief that Brittany, as an outlying region of the Empire, was only superficially Romanized. Though the above opinion is not entirely disproved by the body of evidence collected from past and recent excavations, the picture should clearly not be oversimplified. Roman Brittany, though it certainly lagged behind in terms of cultural and linguistic unification, was certainly fully integrated into the political and economic structure of Gaul and the Empire as a whole.     

试论五至六世纪拜占庭的丝绸贸易与丝织业

为了控制丝绸贸易和保证丝织业生产,5—6世纪的拜占庭国家垄断了生丝交易。由于拜占庭的桑树种植地主要处于容易受波斯进攻的叙利亚和小亚细亚山区,正常的种桑活动往往得不到保障,因此拜占庭所需生丝仍然依赖进口。为了获得较为廉价的生丝,拜占庭利用国家权力对丝绸贸易和丝绸价格实行了严格的控制,并建立了一支身份世袭的织工队伍。拜占庭的丝织业采取集约化的生产方式,形成了集种桑、养蚕、纺纱、染色、绘图等一系列完整流程为一体的生产体系。丝绸贸易在拜占庭经济结构中虽然不占主导地位,但紫色丝绸却是拜占庭国家中央集权和社会等级制度在经济和社会生活中的反映。     

The Byzantine silk industry: Lopez and beyond

The Byzantine silk industry played a major role in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Silk, a key economic asset, had strong political overtones, and the effects of its multiple influences were felt far and wide, both within Byzantium and abroad. This article highlights some of the difficulties encountered in the interpretation of important documentation surrounding the Byzantine silk industry in the period up to 1204 A.D.     

The Byzantine silk industry: Lopez and beyond

The Byzantine silk industry played a major role in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Silk, a key economic asset, had strong political overtones, and the effects of its multiple influences were felt far and wide, both within Byzantium and abroad. This article highlights some of the difficulties encountered in the interpretation of important documentation surrounding the Byzantine silk industry in the period up to 1204 A.D.     

Old wine in new bottles? Some views of the economy of the early Church

From a sociological point of view the early Christian communities seem to have been rather isolated in their pagan, or Jewish, surroundings. The aim of this article is to throw some light on the economic behaviour of the members of the early Church. Did they establish a Christian economy, which was determined by their moral and religious values, or did they adjust themselves to the prevailing economic conditions of the Roman Empire?     

Morphometric Variability of Roman Dogs in Hispania Tarraconensis: The Case Study of the Vila de Madrid Necropolis

The size, body conformation and skull shape of Roman dogs from the ‘Vila de Madrid necropolis’ site, where 1480 dog remains were recovered, are described in this paper to provide evidence of the morphometric variability of Roman dogs in Hispania Tarraconensis. The individualized and detailed morphometric analysis of 10 individuals shows that the proliferation and explosion of the morphological variability already documented in different regions of the Roman Empire (Italia, Gallia, Britannia, Pannonia) are also noted here. The presence of very different individuals in terms of their shape and size, similar to the differences that can at present be noted between Pekingese and Doberman dogs, has been documented at the site. The reasons for the appearance of this morphological variability within those territories that were part of the Roman Empire are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On Early Thimbles: A Seventh‐Century‐AD Example from Punta Secca,Sicily, in Context

A copper‐alloy thimble was found in 2010 at Punta Secca, Sicily, in a sealed context datable by coins to the first quarter of the seventh century AD. It has generally been thought that thimbles did not reach the Mediterranean area until the ninth century AD, but at least nine metal examples are in fact attested at various places from contexts datable between the late sixth century and the early ninth. It is suggested that the increasing use of silk in clothing in the Byzantine Empire during the seventh century, probably accompanied by the use for the first time of steel needles which made the use of a finger protector imperative, explains the apparent introduction of thimbles at this time. No securely dated metal thimbles are known from sites of Roman date, except for one at Ephesus of c.AD 100. It is very tentatively suggested that this last example might represent an import from China, where thimbles (and steel needles) are attested from at least the third century BC onwards.