[muawiyah]

Interesting, but the writer suggests that little was known of China in the West in the First Century.

Which, of course, is false. The Greeks opened up an "improved" Silk Road, and that had been operating for maybe 1300 years by the time Alexander went to Afghanistan and the Indus.

I would imagine Jews and other Levantines were among the very first people to take advantage of the Silk Road, and might even have made the long trek all the way to the silk boll ports in Japan.

Even further back in history, there's very good evidence that the same folks who invented Sumerian hieroglyphics (cunuiform writing) also invented a substantial chunk of Egyptian hieroglyphics and a really serious chunk of Chinese hieroglyphics and characters (which were added to a more widespread system best typified these days by the Shang Dynasty characters or American Plains Indian sign language).

It's easy to believe the scroll in question was written over numerous times and kept pliable with all sorts of stuff.

Found it quite entertaining to see that practical, not just ceremonial maintenance, was performed even up to near modern times.

Not bad for a Jewish family with a long lineage and little contact with the remnant of the priestly caste or the scribes.

[blam]

"Interesting, but the writer suggests that little was known of China in the West in the First Century."

LOL. Someone knew.

I just discovered that some of the Xiongnu have the same DNA as my fathers Scottish/Finnish mother...U5a1a. And, was related to Cheddar Man too.