The Sogdian Ancient Letters Reveal Silk Road Secrets

In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the Sogdian Ancient Letters, a cache of 5th-century correspondence discovered by Sir Aurein Stein in a watchtower near Dunhuang. These letters, written in the Sogdian language using a script derived from Aramaic, offer an unparalleled glimpse into the personal and commercial lives of Sogdian merchants traversing the Silk Road. The most famous letter, written by a Sogdian woman named Miwnay, details her desperate situation after her husband abandoned her in Luoyang. Another letter describes the sacking of Luoyang by the Xiongnu in 312 CE, providing rare contemporary testimony of that event. The letters also reveal the Sogdian network stretching from Samarkand to Gansu, dealing in silk, musk, and slaves. This episode explores the content of the letters, their historical significance, and the challenges of interpreting them. It also touches on the Sogdian role as cultural intermediaries and the eventual fading of their language after the Arab conquest of Transoxiana. #SogdianAncientLetters #SirAurelStein #Dunhuang #Luoyang #Sogdian #SilkRoad #Miwnay #Xiongnu #Samarkand #Gansu #SogdianLanguage #AramaicScript #5thCentury #TarimBasin #Zoroastrianism #Manichaeism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo