Dynasty of Nomads: Rediscovering the forgotten Liao Empire

Archaeology ^ | November/December 2007 | Jake Hooker

[SunkenCiv]

The Liao Empire was once considered a minor state on the fringes of Chinese civilization. Chinese-language sources depicted the Khitan as barbarians; Western scholars, who hadn't seen much material evidence other than Liao pagodas, regarded the dynasty as esoteric. But discoveries in Inner Mongolia over the past three decades have prompted scholars to reconsider these views, and Liao society is now recognized as a sophisticated blend of Khitan and Chinese traditions... Scholars agree Liao rulers adapted Chinese customs and traditions over time. They governed the sedentary Chinese population with a civil bureaucracy modeled on the earlier Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907): they wore Chinese dress on ceremonial occasions, built Chinese-style temples and pagodas that surpassed those built by Chinese empires, and adopted the dragon as a sacred emblem. Yet the Liao also followed the traditions of their nomadic culture. They continued to practice shamanism, and on the day of the winter solstice, they slaughtered a white sheep, a white horse, and a white goose. The Liao worshiped the mountains, the sun, and the moon, as well as the Buddha. Chinese literati, living in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, did not understand these native customs, and sometimes their observations were insulting. One Chinese writer witnessed the preparation of the second Liao emperor Deguang's corpse after he died in battle, in A.D. 946. The intestines were removed and the body was filled with salt and fragrant herbs, then the arms and feet were wrapped in copper wire. The Chinese writer called the preserved remains "imperial dried meat."

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

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[martin_fierro]

Chinese-language sources depicted the Khitan as barbarians; Western scholars, who hadn't seen much material evidence other than Liao pagodas, regarded the dynasty as esoteric.

It's hard to be taken seriesly when you look like Elmer Fudd.

[SunkenCiv]

Fudd is James Carville’s better-looking older half-brother. Not a lot of people know that.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The Chinese writer called the preserved remains "imperial dried meat."

A little free and easy with the insults there, guy!

[SunkenCiv]

[creaking noise as the ‘old jokes’ tome is opened]

And for dessert, lady fingers!