The extent of the Persian Achaemenid Empire and the location of Sogdiana.Credit: Fabienkhan, CC BY-SA 2.5
Posted on 01/21/2025 4:34:04 PM PST by SunkenCiv
The Sogdians were an Eastern Iranian-speaking people originally from Sogdiana, or modern-day Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Traders, artisans, and cultural brokers, their influence peaked during the Tang Dynasty, or roughly from 618 to 907 CE, described as the "Golden Age" of the Silk Road. But until recently, very little has been known about their origins and interaction with other populations.
A breakthrough in understanding the Sogdians came from the analysis of two skeletons excavated from a Tang Dynasty tomb, M1401, in Guyuan, northwest China. The tomb was excavated by the Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in 2014 to prevent looting; its treasures included frescoes, figurines, coins, and glass beads. This finding demonstrated that it was a Sogdian family that had lived there.
The man and woman interred in the tomb were subjected to genetic and morphological analyses, revealing surprising results. According to the researchers, SUTE1 had mixed ancestry, including local and genetic components from the so-called Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), which expressed a Central Asian component. On the other hand, SUTE2 proved much closer to the local population in China's Yellow River region, providing yet another piece of evidence for intermarriage and further cultural assimilation.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeologymag.com ...
The extent of the Persian Achaemenid Empire and the location of Sogdiana.Credit: Fabienkhan, CC BY-SA 2.5
Are these the guys they find the wizard hats on?
Bookmark
....but turns out he's 500-1,000 miles east and separated in time by over a thousand years.
Just call ‘em “Sogs” for short.
That’s a little easier to make out. Thank you.
:^) From that album, “Jeepster” (one of his zany-named tunes) is my fave. Scruffy the Cat used to cover that in their live shows.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
