The Church of the East in Central Asia and China
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Book Series
China and the Mediterranean World, vol. 2
- Pages: approx. 240 p.
- Size:210 x 297 mm
- Illustrations:39 col.
- Language(s):English
- Publication Year:2026
- € 90,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-2-503-61710-7
- Hardback
- Forthcoming (Feb/26)
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This book explores the little known but significant presence and impact of Sogdian Christians and the Sogdian language in Christian networks along the trade routes of medieval Eurasia.
Subject(s)
- Christianity & Church outside Europe
- Book History, Manuscript Studies & Palaeography
- Commerce and trade
- Indo-Iranian and Indo-Aryan langs & lits (Iranian, Persian, Sanskrit, Indic, Tocharian etc)
- Cultural & intellectual history (c. 500-1500)
- Religious history (c. 500-1500)
- Central Asia (c. 500-1500)
BIO
Daniel J Sheridan was awarded an MA in Iranian studies (Distinction) from SOAS, University of London in 2017 and a PhD (2023) from the University of Cambridge.
Summary
After centuries of obscurity, the Sogdian people have once again been recognized as the premier long-distance traders of the famed Eurasian trade routes of late antique and early medieval Eurasia, popularly referred to as the “Silk Roads.” Similarily, a previous Christian association with Sogdians and their language had also been all but forgotten until the archeological finds at the turn of the twentieth century. Drawing on a wide range of evidence, this study explores some of the results of Sogdian Christians having once moved within a confluence of networks, with connections to the wider Christian world and the transcontinental trading networks of the Sogdians. Furthermore, extant evidence shows the once wide-spread currency of the Sogdian language among Christians throughout Central Asia. Through the case studies of book culture, knowledge transmission, and the healing arts, the prominence of the “Sogdian element” in Christian activities outside of the Roman world becomes readily apparent not just for the history of Christianity but also the histories of Central Asia, China, and others.