The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, alpha:
From GROK
The 166 CE “Roman” mission to China — The most direct evidence of “Romans” visiting Han China comes from the Book of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu). It records that in 166 CE, during the reign of Emperor Huan, envoys from “Andun” (almost certainly Antoninus Pius or his successor Marcus Aurelius) of Daqin arrived by sea via Rinan/Jiaozhi (in what is now northern Vietnam/southern China). They presented tribute gifts of ivory, rhinoceros horn, and tortoiseshell.
Historians debate whether these were official imperial envoys or simply Roman/Egyptian/Levantine merchants claiming higher status to gain better trading privileges. Either way, this marks the only well-documented case of people from the Roman world physically reaching the Han court.
Archaeological evidence — Roman coins (from the 1st century CE onward), glassware, silverware, and medallions (including from Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius) have been found at Han-era sites in China and in Jiaozhi (Vietnam). This confirms that Roman-manufactured luxury goods traveled all the way east, almost certainly via sea routes through India/Southeast Asia or overland Silk Road trade.
Other claims — Theories like captured Roman legionaries from the 53 BCE Battle of Carrhae ending up as mercenaries in Central Asia and then settling in China (e.g., the “Liqian village” hypothesis with supposed Roman descendants) have been largely debunked by modern DNA studies and lack supporting archaeology.
In short: individual Roman subjects (likely merchants or traders) almost certainly visited or reached Han-controlled areas, and at least one group made it to the imperial court in 166 CE. But no large-scale, official Roman diplomatic or military visit to the heart of Han China (like Chang’an/Luoyang) ever occurred, and direct overland journeys from Rome were effectively impossible due to distance, politics, and intermediaries. The empires traded goods and ideas at arm’s length across thousands of miles.