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14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
A Scholarly Masterpiece Dec 26, 2009
By John C. Huntington
For the academic or serious amateur whose interests lie in the difficult and controversial areas of Central Asia during the Former Han and Later Han, this is an utterly indispensable volume. The author has translated the "Chronicle Western Regions" chapter of the Hou Hanshu (History of the Later [or Eastern] Han dynasty") in a Chinese text with translation format for the first 59 pages of the volume (even page number in Chinese odd page numbers in English) for a total of 28 pages for each language. The translation reads well and seems at first reading very well considered and thoroughly useful. But what follows is astonishing! Self described in an extremely subtle understatement as subtitle on the cover, as "An annotated translation of the Chronicle of the 'Western Regions in the Hou Hanshu," The author provides his reader with nearly 600 pages of some of the most thorough documentation, comparative analysis and appendices, I have ever read! For two weeks of nearly constant work, comparing the text with my own notes and learning vastly from the author's erudition, I have had one of the most satisfying intellectual experiences of recent decades. The richness of the intellectual fabric from which the book is woven is a nearly exhaustive survey of the literature and relevant documents. Simply stated, if anyone is interested in any aspect of inner Asia during the period for ca 200 BCE to ca 200 CE, you literally cannot avoid this book!
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
The Western Regions in the "Hou Hanshu " Dec 18, 2009
By D. Gibson
"webmaster, Nabataea.net"
For far too long, the western world has been self centered in their view of history. John Hill's annotated translation of this Chinese text helps us begin to see the ancient world in a new light. Imagine visiting the Silk Road between 25 and 200 AD! Hill does an excellent job in not only providing us with an accurate translation, but he also provides insights into life along the silk road two millennia ago! Be prepared, his notes are extensive and his research thorough. The Chinese text and English translation are a mere 60 pages... the notes are over 600 pages. This is my kind of book. Thoroughly researched, cross-referenced, footnoted, and well written. As a historian (Middle East) I have been fascinated by the ancient Chinese perspective of the world west of China. This book will appeal to any historian focusing on places along the Silk Route from China to Rome, but it will also appeal to anyone who would like to have a unique and fascinating glimpse into ancient history as only the Chinese could describe it.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Truly Extraordinary! Jan 14, 2010
By Dennis Herron
I pre-ordered this through Amazon as soon as I
heard about it last fall (I've been reading Hill's contributions to the
Silk Road Seattle project for the past several years, with growing
awe). Ostensibly the book is an annotated translation of chapters of
the Hou Han Shu relating to the Western Regions, but that is like
saying Moby Dick is a book about a whale. I've been reading it
through the holidays; it is a work of such graceful erudition and
analysis - archaeological, linguistic, historical - of the Eurasian
oikoumene of the Classical period that, in the course of reading parts
of it I have literally lost track of the time. And I don't simply mean
that the afternoon has turned to evening - I've come out of the text
bemused to find myself back in the 21st century.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
The Early Silk Road from a Chinese Perspective Dec 24, 2009
By Alfred J. Andrea
This book arrived several days ago, and I devoured it in a single sitting, despite its 689 pages, largely composed of throughly researched notes and an extensive (and comprehensive) bibliography. An annotated translation (with accompanying Chinese text) of the second-century CE Hou Hanshu, also known as the "Chronicle on the Western Regions," this important source from the period of the late Han Dynasty contains highly detailed accounts of such far-away lands as India, Parthian Persia, and even the Roman Empire. To my amazement--and I have spent over 4 decades studying cultural interchange across the so-called Silk Road--it describes a Roman embassy to the Han court that was dispatched by Emperor Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180)and arrived in China in 166, by way of Southeast Asia.
This source is so important that I intend to incorporate excerpts from it in the forthcoming 7th edition of The Human Record, Volume I. Quite simply, undergraduate students of world history need to become acquainted with it and the rich body of new insights that it offers any and all who are interested in the long-distance interchange that occurred across Afro-Eurasia more than 1,000 years before Marco Polo.
John Hill's scholarship is likewise a wonder to behold and enjoy. His detailed and always informative notes are a pleasure to read, and the book should serve as an example to all of how one properly goes about translating and presenting a primary source to a mixed audience. It can and should be purchased and read not only by every professional scholar who focuses on the Silk Road and related phenomena but also by any interested person who wants to know more about the Silk Road during its first great period of effloresence. Happily, in this day of greatly inflated book prices, its modest price puts it within easy reach.
Alfred J. Andrea
Emeritus Professor of World History
University of Vermont
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Recommended for students and scholars studying ancient Rome, May 27, 2010
By E. Mclaughlin
Dr. Raoul McLaughlin, Belfast. "I highly recommend this study to anyone who wants to have a greater perspective on the Roman Empire and gain a better appreciation of ancient civilization. This book is a highly authoritive and very readable account of the ancient world that connected China and Rome.
`Through the Jade Gate to Rome' is an immense scholarly achievement. It offers a new translation of the `Western Regions' which occupies about 60 pages. The author's commentary on this ancient work fill a further 600 pages with detailed and thorough analysis. The commentary provides a skilful synthesises of ancient evidence and considers a multitude of modern academic views. Roman accounts are quoted and compared with passages in Chinese records, while information is provided about important archaeological finds at significant ancient sites.
`Through the Jade Gate to Rome' offers a new translation and commentary on a chapter from the Hou Hanshu called the `Chronicle of the Western Regions'. The Hou Hanshu documents the history of the later Han Empire (AD 25-220) and the `Western Regions' summarises information collected by Chinese authorities about the lands beyond their western frontiers.
The `Western Regions' is one of the most important works to have survived from the ancient world. It describes the great kingdoms of inner Asia, considers the distant realms of outer India and offers a unique outsider's view of the Roman Empire. It is of vital interest to anyone hoping to understand the vibrant Silk Routes or appreciate Rome's place within the ancient global economy.
I believe that international commerce and distant diplomacy are vital concerns in our modern world and it is fascinating to explore their ancient precedents. I would thoroughly recommend `Through the Jade Gate to Rome' to anyone who wants to read a genuinely intriguing and original study of the authentic ancient world. If you want a new perspective on world history then this is the book to read and with over 600 pages of detailed and revealing analysis it is well worth the price. This remarkable book will take you on an epic journey."
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