The Merchant Empire of the Sogdians, Judith A. Lerner

The Merchant Empire of the Sogdians

-Judith A. Lerner

Judith’s opening quote, “Men of Sogdiana have gone wherever profit is to be found” outlines the consensus of her piece. I feel that every reference she makes in The Merchant Empire of the Sogdians agrees to this statement. The 4^th and 7^th centuries marked the activities of the merchants mainly from the Sogdian’s, Iranian people from Central Asia. The Sogdian’s were constantly exposed to domination factors through the leadership of princes, powerful leaders and the domination of the nomads, the Turks. It is questionable whether the Sogdian’s were embedded in a feudal system or not. Lerner states that the Sogdian’s followed the feudal system but Marshak clearly states that the system was not feudal. In, Sogdians and their Homeland, Marshak states that merchants were positioned between the nobility and the working class based on their social and political significance. This idea makes more sense to me because it provides an explanation to the drive of the people of Sogdiana to accumulate profit. The greater the success the higher they are ranked. If it were a feudal system that they were immersed in, than it would not matter how much wealth they accumulate because the feudal system is based on one’s inheritance. This would not spark a large interest in the act of achieving one’s own wealth. The Sogdian’s exposure to domination must therefore lead to their desire for power. The Sogdian’s sought power in the accumulation of profit and wealth. The main source of economy for the Sogdian’s was agriculture. When agricultural trade did not generate as much wealth as they desired, the Sogdian’s used their geographical location to their advantage and made use of the rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya which allowed them to travel along in Silk Road practicing trade. It was interesting to read that from a young age, more specifically at age 5, a young boy is expected to read books and as he understand them, study commerce. This proves that at a young age, men in Sogdiana are exposed to the world of trade and profit. Children are taught at an early age to desire potential earnings from trade. The Sogdian’s therefore held superiority on the Silk Road because their society was deeply embedded in reliance to profit and money. Since trade allowed the Sogdian’s to interact with many different peoples, societies and cultures, they were exposed to many different and unfamiliar languages. The language barrier interfered with trading goods which therefore affects the amount of profit being consumed. In order to eliminate this problem, the Sogdian’s learned the Buddhist language and were able to translate Buddhist texts. This gave rise to another source of income, the translation of Buddhist texts. Sogdian’s learned how to trade efficiently and broke down many barriers they faced in order to trade with every culture. I believe that their ability to override each obstacle proves they were intellectual people whom educated themselves in the field of commerce and trade. The Sogdian’s allows for many new ideas to spread along the Silk Road. Referencing back to the quote Lerner opened with, the basis of Sogdian society was to attain a sufficient amount of profit. The Sogdian’s travelled along the rivers; embedded commerce into the education of young boy’s and broke down language barriers all in aim of acquiring capital. Men of this culture oriented their lives in order to achieve this one goal. 

In search of Longevity and Good Karma: Chinese Diplomatic Missions to Middle India in the 17th Century

In search of Longevity and Good Karma: Chinese Diplomatic Missions to Middle India in the 17^th Century

-Tansen Sen

In his piece, In search of Longevity and Good Karma, Tansen Sen focuses on China’s diplomatic correlation with ancient Indian Kingdoms. Sen offers attention on these interactions because he feels China’s neighbours are rarely mentioned and are missing from pieces of China’s history. Focusing on the basis of the happenings between China and India, Sen examines the chain of Tang missions to Middle India, specifically in the seventeenth century.

Sen’s argues that the Buddhist monks residing in China facilitated the bond between both China and India. The Buddhist monks living in China visited courts of important Indian Kings which sustained the ties diplomatic ties. By examining the famous Buddhist pilgrim, Xuanzang, Sen argues that individuals and their own personal motives also helped sustain the ties between China and India. Xuanzang established a pilgrimage to India which leads to his meeting with the Indian King. The meeting inhibited the Indian King to send an envoy to tang Chins. Throughout his adventures, Xuanzang collected Buddhist texts from Indian monasteries and brought them back to China. Xuanzang’s actions suggest he looked to integrate both countries. Sen also focuses on the third Tang mission to Middle India which brought Indian-life prolonging technology, knowledge and expertise to China. It was from India that China gained the skill of healing and medicine. Sen’s final reference to proving the integration between China and India remains in the military alliance of China and the Indian Kingdoms. Receiving threats from the Tibetans and Turks, the borders of China and India became allies in order to have a strong military front and protect their people.

Ultimately, in his piece, Sen is uncovering the missing pieces in Chinese history, where the ancient Kingdoms of India are found. Sen gives credit to the Indian Kingdoms by revealing their ties and influences to China. Sen accomplishes this by looking at the most validating interactions between China and India. I believe that Sen is trying to give the ancient Kingdoms of India recognition for their influences. I feel that because many pieces of history did not reference the Indian Kingdoms, Sen went against the norm of what historians studied and brought something new to the field of religious studies. What Sen brings to the field of religious studies is a new way to look at Chinese history in the seventeenth century. Sen also brings the histories of the ancient Indian Kingdoms to the surface for scholars to indulge themselves in. Instead of looking for histories that have already been examined, Sen went against the norm in a quest to uncover something that was missing from historical accounts.