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04/19/2016 06:00 PM
ISAW Lecture Hall
Rostovtzeff Lecture Series
Silk Roads and Steppe Roads of Medieval China: History Unearthed from Tombs, IV
Jonathan K. Skaff
The final lecture in the Rostovtzeff series takes the audience along the Steppe Roads from China to Mongolia to investigate another recently discovered tomb and epitaph. The history of Mongolia is little known between the First Türk (552–630) and Second Türk (682–742) Empires. Chinese historical records claim that the Tang Dynasty exerted suzerainty over Mongolia during the interregnum through vassal rulers, but offer few details after 660. Likewise, Uighur Empire (744-840) inscriptions assert an earlier period of rule over Mongolia in alliance with the Tang. The recent excavation of Pugu Yitu’s tomb and Chinese-language epitaph shows that an alliance endured through the 670s and throws new light on cultural connections between China and Mongolia.
RSVP