Notes on Sogdian Official Positions under the Western Wei Regime in the Epitaphs of Kang Ye and Shi Jun

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<p>本文精讀西魏粟特人康業與史君的墓誌，結合跨時空制度比較與圖像研究，修正既有解讀。針對康業墓誌，首先確認大天主是參與部分世俗事務的宗教領導者；其次指出康業父親並非兩度被任命為「大天主」，而是經歷先試用再正授的攝官過程，大統十六年（550）才是正式除授。針對史君墓誌，本文檢討其於北周保定五年（565）後就任涼州薩保的通說，認為當時的高齡與「曹主」之斷句均不合理；史君是在西魏大統五年（539）成為薩保，距離初宦於薩保機構不到五年。這是第一個西魏薩保的實例。綜合康業父親攝官與史君升遷的經過可知，西魏政權留下的粟特人官職資料雖少，但他們進行任命時非常謹慎，傾向在確認官員的表現適任後，再正式授予要職。</p> <p> </p><p>This paper refines existing interpretations of the epitaphs of Kang Ye and Shi Jun, two Sogdian individuals in the Western Wei period, through a combination of careful textual analysis, institutional comparisons spanning time and region, and iconographic studies. Regarding Kang Ye’s epitaph, it first confirms that the “Datianzhu” was a religious leader involved in certain secular affairs. Subsequently, it argues against the notion that Kang Ye’s father held the title of “Datianzhu” twice, suggesting instead that he initially served as an acting official, necessitating a probationary period, before receiving formal appointment in the sixteenth year of Datong era (550). Turning to Shi Jun’s epitaph, the paper challenges the prevailing narrative that he assumed the position of “Sabao” in Liangzhou after the fifth year of Baoding era (565) in the Northern Zhou period. It deems his advanced age at that time and the syntactical division involving the term “caozhu” as implausible. Instead, the study establishes that Shi Jun became a “Sabao” in the fifth year of Datong era (539) during the Western Wei period, less than five years after he began his service in the “Sabao” institution. Shi Jun stands as the initial exemplar of a “Sabao” appointment during the Western Wei period. By synthesizing the experiences of Kang Ye’s father and Shi Jun’s career progression, this research concludes that, although the Western Wei regime left limited records of Sogdian officials, they exercised great caution during appointments, preferring to formally confer significant positions only after confirming the suitability of the officials’ performance.</p> <p> </p>