Chinese Knowledge of Western Asia During the Han

Abstract

(CANBERRA) A great number of scholars, Chinese, Japanese and western, have devoted a large amount of time and energy in the attempt to identify place-names in Western Asia mentioned in the Chinese historical texts from the Shih-chi on. In the following pages, we have attempted to resolve one out of the two main problems, the identification of Li-kan/T'iao-chih as the Seleucid Empire. The other vexed problem, the identification of Ta-ch'in in the Hou-Han shu as Rome or as the Eastern Roman Empire centred in Antioch or in Alexandria, still requires analysis.