Post civilizations interacting with eactother

>Soochow is a very great and noble city. The people are subjects of the Great Khan, and have paper money. They possess silk in great quantities, from which they make gold brocade and other stuffs, and they live by their manufactures and trade.

>The city is very great, as large as 60 square miles. It contains merchants of great wealth and an incalculable number of people. Indeed, if the men of this city and of the rest of the country had the spirit of soldiers they would conquer the world; but they are not soldiers at all, only accomplished traders and most skilled craftsmen. There are also in this city many great philosophers and others who do not appear to work.

>When you have left the city of Soochow and have traveled for four days through a splendid country, passing a number of towns and villages, you arrive at the most noble city of Kinsay, which is in our language "City of Heaven." I will enter into particulars about its magnificence since the city is beyond dispute the finest and noblest in the world.

>Inside the city there is a lake of some 30 miles: and all round it are beautiful palaces and mansions, of the richest and most exquisite structure that you can imagine, belonging to the nobles of the city.

>Both men and women are fair and comely (attractive).

>And for the most part clothe themselves in silk, so vast is the supply of that material, both from the whole district of Kinsay and from the imports by traders from other provinces.

Really makes you think...

Why did Nietzsche despise Christianity so much?

He met and spoke with Christians.

Did some Christian priest destroy Nietzsche's boypucci when he was a kid?

I think anybody would have been amazed.

For one, any Chinese cities population was far greater than any European city at the time.
And second, the Europe that Marco Polo knew was a collection of small nations and city-states constantly having petty squabbles with one another.

Nearly all states were involved in wars with one another. With the Holy Roman Empire having a slight boost, but they were were also locked in constant competition for power. In Asia Minor, the power of the Byzantine empire was in decline, and the power of the Turkish Ottoman Empire was increasing. In addition, Europe was still involved in its own Holy War against the "infidels" to retake their land i.e the Crusades.

The Chinese Sung dynasty, was the most splendid civilization of its time, outshining even Persia and the Ottoman Empire, and certainly out-distancing poorer, divided Europe. Kubilai Khan may have been a conqueror but he regarded himself as a civilized, ""elegant"" gentleman.

>French go to Canada
>Their settlements are shit
>The natives hate them
>The only natives that ally with them hate them too
>In it for the sweet benefits
>French women get raped by natives regularly
>Captives are common among their indian "allies"
>Indians rarely go to war with each other, so they are cucked out of their allies

French colonization of north america is truely JUST

Hernan Cortes describing Tenochtitlan to King Charles V:

>This great city of Temixtitlan [Mexico] is situated in this salt lake, and from the main land to the denser parts of it, by whichever route one chooses to enter, the distance is two leagues. There are four avenues or entrances to the city, all of which are formed by artificial causeways, two spears' length in width. The city is as large as Seville or Cordova; its streets, I speak of the principal ones, are very wide and straight; some of these, and all the inferior ones, are half land and half water, and are navigated by canoes. All the streets at intervals have openings, through which the water flows, crossing from one street to another; and at these openings, some of which are very wide, there are also very wide bridges, composed of large pieces of timber, of great strength and well put together; on many of these bridges ten horses can go abreast. Foreseeing that if the inhabitants of the city should prove treacherous, they would possess great advantages from the manner in which the city is constructed, since by removing the bridges at the entrances, and abandoning the place, they could leave us to perish by famine without our being able to reach the main land, as soon as I had entered it, I made great haste to build four brigatines, which were soon finished, and were large enough to take ashore three hundred men and the horses, whenever it should become necessary.

>Martin Luther "muh sola scriptura"
>Nietzsche "the ubersmensch"
>Stirner "muh spooks"
>Hitler the fascist faggot
>Karl Marx the commie faggot

Germans are cancer of humanity

you don't have to be so edgy here user, it's alright. no one will ridicule you or call you new for talking like a sensible person on a board for actual discussion. after all, isn't that why you're here?

Honestly that's pretty amazing. God fucking Spaniards had to shit everything up.

look another anglo using "fascist" improperly

don't forget
>Kant "muh autism"
>Hegel "muh dasein"
>Spengler "Muh Faust"

Cry more

SOLA SCRIPTURA

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_military_history#Jews_of_China

>The stele dating 1489 states that Song Dynasty founder Emperor Taizu (mistakenly referred to as Ming Taizu) went on military campaigns to “pacify the Under Heaven” during the early years of his reign. When the armies successfully gained control of China and solidified the power of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu bestowed the “sinicized” Jewish soldiers with land “to settle and enjoy their occupation in the villages”. Jewish soldiers continued to serve in the Chinese military through the Southern Song Dynasty. The stele dating 1512 states “those who subdued the enemy and resisted aggression and were ‘boundlessly loyal to the country’” were successful in their endeavors. The term “boundlessly loyal to the country” refers to the famous tattoo on the back of General Yue Fei, a noted patriot and martyr. So the loyalty of the Jewish soldiers was compared to that of Yue Fei. The same source even claims that "Israelites" served in Yue Fei's armies and helped to combat the Jurchen armies invading China during that time.

>The same source even claims that "Israelites" served in Yue Fei's armies and helped to combat the Jurchen armies invading China during that time.

God damn even China got jewed

top kek

>The Chinese Sung dynasty, was the most splendid civilization of its time, outshining even Persia and the Ottoman Empire, and certainly out-distancing poorer, divided Europe.

>not an argument

Karl Marx was homophobic though

My time to shine :D. On the Arabs [Dashi to the Chinese], compiled from the records of Du Huang, who was a POW in the Abbasid Caliphate following the Battle of Talas.

>The Dashi (Arabs) were originally under the rule of Anxi (Persia). The men have high noses, are dark, and bearded. The women are very fair [white] and when they go out they veil the face. Five times daily they worship Tianshen [lit. Heavenly God]. They wear silver girdles, with silver knives suspended. They do not drink wine, nor use music. Their place of worship will accommodate several hundreds of people.

>Every seventh day the King (Caliph) sits on high, and speaks to those below saying, ' Those who are killed by the enemy will be born in heaven above; those who slay the enemy will receive happiness.' Therefore they are usually valiant fighters. Their land is sandy and stony, not fit for cultivation; so they hunt and eat flesh.

>Kufa is the place of their capital. Its men and women are attractive in appearance and large in stature. Their clothing is handsome, and their carriage and demeanor leisurely and lovely. When women go outdoors, they always cover their faces, regardless of whether they are noble or base. They pray to heaven five times a day. They eat meat [ even] when practicing abstention, [for] they believe the taking of life to be meritorious

>The followers of the religion of the Dashi have a means to denote the degrees of family relations, but it is degenerated and they don’t bother about it. They don’t eat the meat of pigs, dogs, donkeys and horses, they don’t respect neither the king of the country, neither their parents, they don’t believe in supernatural powers, they perform sacrifice to heaven and to no one else. According their customs every seventh day is a holiday, on which no trade and no cash transactions are done, whereas when they drink alcohol, they are behaving in a ridiculous and undisciplined way during the whole day.

This is Ibn Battuta on the Kingdom of Mali.
>The negroes possess some admirable qualities. They are seldom unjust, and have a greater abhorrence of injustice than any other people. Their sultan shows no mercy to anyone who is guilty of the least act of it. There is complete security in their country. Neither traveller nor inhabitant in it has anything to fear from robbers or men of violence. They do not confiscate the property of any white man who dies in their country, even if it be uncounted wealth. On the contrary, they give it into the charge of some trustworthy person among the whites, until the rightful heir takes possession of it. They are careful to observe the hours of prayer, and assiduous in attending them in congregations, and in bringing up their children to them.

>On Fridays, if a man does not go early to the mosque, he cannot find a corner to pray in, on account of the crowd. It is a custom of theirs to send each man his boy [to the mosque] with his prayer-mat; the boy spreads it out for his master in a place befitting him [and remains on it] until he comes to the mosque. Their prayer-mats are made of the leaves of a tree resembling a date-palm, but without fruit.

>Another of their good qualities is their habit of wearing clean white garments on Fridays. Even if a man has nothing but an old worn shirt, he washes it and cleans it, and wears it to the Friday service. Yet another is their zeal for learning the Koran by heart. They put their children in chains if they show any backwardness in memorizing it, and they are not set free until they have it by heart. I visited the qadi in his house on the day of the festival. His children were chained up, so I said to him, "Will you not let them loose?" He replied, "I shall not do so until they learn the Koran by heart."

Ibn Fadlan on the Russians. A better version.
>I saw the Rusiyyah when they had arrived on their trading expedition and had disembarked at the River Atil. I have never seen more perfect physiques than theirs—they are like palm trees, are fair and reddish, and do not wear the qurctaq or the caftan. The man wears a cloak with which he covers one half of his body, leaving one of his arms uncovered. Every one of them carries an axe, a sword and a dagger and is never without all of that which we have mentioned.

>Their swords are of the Frankish variety, with broad, ridged blades. Each man, from the tip of his toes to his neck, is covered in dark-green lines, pictures and such like. Each woman has, on her breast, a small disc, tied around her neck, made of either iron, silver, copper or gold, in relation to her husband's financial and social worth. Each disc has a ring to which a dagger is attached, also lying on her breast. Around their necks they wear bands of gold and silver. Whenever a man's wealth reaches ten thousand dirhams, he has a band made for his wife; if it reaches twenty thousand dirhams, he has two bands made for her—for every ten thousand more, he gives another band to his wife. Sometimes one woman may wear many bands around her neck.

Herodotus describes a Phoenicians crew's voyage around the continent of Africa
>Libya is washed on all sides by the sea except where it joins Asia, as was first demonstrated, so far as our knowledge goes, by the Egyptian king Necho, who, after calling off the construction of the canal between the Nile and the Arabian gulf, sent out a fleet manned by a Phoenician crew with orders to sail west about and return to Egypt and the Mediterranean by way of the Straits of Gibraltar.

>The Phoenicians sailed from the Arabian gulf into the southern ocean, and every autumn put in at some convenient spot on the Libyan coast, sowed a patch of ground, and waited for next year's harvest. Then, having got in their grain, they put to sea again, and after two full years rounded the Pillars of Heracles in the course of the third, and returned to Egypt.

>These men made a statement which I do not myself believe, though others may, to the effect that as they sailed on a westerly course round the southern end of Libya, they had the sun on their right - to northward of them. This is how Libya was first discovered by sea.

Here is some more of Ibn Battuta complaining.
1/5

2/5

3/5

4/5

my bad

5/5 last one. Good job OP on creating a good thread. Thats all I have for now.

Wow I'm an idiot.

>Hegel "muh dasein"

This is literally OP's post m8

He met them

I know. I did say it was a better version. It explains things a lot more. Do you have anything to add to this thread other than being a complete asshat?

yeah you seem like an overly sensitive cunt for one

:^)

Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela (1130-1173) on Persian Jewish war tribe
>There are men of Israel in the land of Persia who say that in the mountains dwell four of the tribes of Israel, namely, the tribe of Dan, the tribe of Zevulun, the tribe of Asher, and the tribe of Naphtali. They are governed by their own prince, Joseph the Levite. Among them are learned scholars. They sow and reap and go forth to war as far as the land of Cush, by way of the desert. They are in league with the Kofar-al-Turak, pagan tribesmen who worship the wind and live in the wilderness.

Benjamin of Tudela on the Samaritans
>It is the abode of about one hundred Cutheans, who observe the Mosaic law only, and are called Samaritans. They have priests, descendants of Aaron The Priest, of blessed memory, whom they call Aaronim. These do not intermarry with any other but priestly families; but they are priests only of their own law, who offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings in their synagogue on Mount Gerizim. They do this in accordance with the words of Scripture, "Thou shalt put the blessing on Mount Gerizim," and they pretend that this is the Holy Temple.On passover and holidays they offer burnt-offerings on the altar which they have erected on Mount Gerizim, from the stones put up by the children of Israel after they had crossed the Jordan. They pretend to be of the tribe of Ephraim, and are in possession of the tomb of Joseph the righteous, the son of our father Jacob, upon whom be peace, as is proved by the following passage of Scripture, "The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up with them from Egypt, they buried in Sichem."

>They have priests, descendants of Aaron The Priest, of blessed memory
>Jacob, upon whom be peace

Kind of interesting how Jews and Muslims are so similar. The whole "Peace be upon him" when they say peoples names, why do they even hate each other?

Arab Christians do the same. I don't know about European Christians though.

It's probably just a Near East thing in general

>I saw the Rusiyyah when they had arrived on their trading expedition and had disembarked at the River Atil. I have never seen more perfect physiques than theirs—they are like palm trees, are fair and reddish, and do not wear the qurctaq or the caftan. The man wears a cloak with which he covers one half of his body, leaving one of his arms uncovered. Every one of them carries an axe, a sword and a dagger and is never without all of that which we have mentioned.

isn't this also Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead?

Excellent reading user!

You forgot Schopenhauer, Heidegger, Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach, Schiller, Bauer, and the other non-meme philosophers.
>Hitler
He was a politician first and foremost.

more

>The negroes

that word didn't exist

It's the closest translation from Arabic.

>translation

stop being dumb. the word they used was zanj and its the closest word we have in english

Nice thread

ultra-orthodox interpretations plus remembrance of blood feud

Always makes me laugh.

Do you want me to break my beck?

Some men just want to watch the world burn.

Neck*

Jews really had beef with the Samaritans

Literally the most shit tier edgy middle school "philosopher" in human history

read a book

He thought that it made men weak and not search for higher truths

>Hegel
>Muh state is thuh greatest and worship muh Kaiser

There's been a long history of Jews in China

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_China

>Libya is washed on all sides by the sea except where it joins Asia

How big was Libya then?

In Herodotus' book three he talks about the Aethiopians(not the same place as modern Ethiopia, to me it looks like modern day Nubia, literally directly below the Sahara).

>"Where the south declines towards the setting sun lies the country called Aethiopia, the last inhabited land in that direction. There gold is obtained in great plenty, huge elephants abound, with wild trees of all sorts, and ebony; and the men are taller, handsomer, and longer lived than anywhere else."

The word Αἰθίοψ or Aithiops literally means "burnt" or "charred" face, probably skin color.

Also if you've read the Little Iliad, the early Greeks too bring up the existence of the Aethiopians. Of course
>hurr durr proof that the trojan war actually happened
But he did know of their existence, as shown with the existence of Memnon, king of Aethiopis. Interestingly enough, he was also a demigod, supposedly the son of Eos, goddess of the Dawn, as was told my Hesiod.

Everybody forgets the Horn of Africa was for a long time the biggest and most lucrative sea route on the planet.

>"There are different cultures, but only one civilization, the western one" Mustafa Kemal Ataturk after his time in France

>"There are different cultures, but only one civilization, the western one" Mustafa Kemal Ataturk after his time in France
This is just Ataturk catering to the West's and westerners delusion of being superior to everybody and being the ''only civilization'' in reality, he really doesn't believe this. Also you must've had your head so far up your ass to actually think the West is the ''only civilization'' every civilization, no matter how formerly great has ended. Western Civilization won't be any different.

Truly amazing

>"There are different cultures, but only one civilization, the western one" Mustafa Kemal Ataturk after his time in France
I'm sure he would have sucked anybody's dick if it got Islam out of Turkey lmao

>got Islam out of Turkey lmao
And he failed. Islam is simply too resilient and strong to be defeated by Secularism and the West. The ban that he put on the Hijab has been removed, and state funding for Mosques in Turkey is back again. Islam will win in the end.

this was back in 1910, such views were common for people in the young turks movement desu

From Aristotele book of physics:

>But neither does time exist without change; for when the state of our own minds does not change at all, or we have not noticed its changing, we do not realize that time has elapsed, any more than those who are fabled to sleep among the heroes in Sardinia do when they are awakened; for they connect the earlier 'now' with the later and make them one, cutting out the interval because of their failure to notice it. So, just as, if the 'now' were not different but one and the same, there would not have been time, so too when its difference escapes our notice the interval does not seem to be time. If, then, the non-realization of the existence of time happens to us when we do not distinguish any change, but the soul seems to stay in one indivisible state, and when we perceive and distinguish we say time has elapsed, evidently time is not independent of movement and change. It is evident, then, that time is neither movement nor independent of movement.

We was handsome...until Christianity came along.

When will Ansgar be recognized ?

Can you please elaborate?
I Agree with you just want to know other Nietzsche hater opinions

>you will never be Ansgar's bodyguard, a former mercenary who became Christian
>you will never save your master by defeating a bunch of Vikings first in a brawl and then in a drinking contest so hard that they beg to be baptized because the Christian God is obviously very powerful to bestow such powers to His faithful.

...

I loved that story where some famous portugese missionary was sent to China and met some weird looking asian dude that was dying to see him.
Dude was basically "yo, what's up, dude?
Glad to meet a fellow monotheist, i'm a jew.
Abraham knew what it's really about, didnt he?
Yeah, glad to have met you.
Came from some jewish villages nearby. We've been chilling around these parts for 1300 years.
You should come to our synagogue sometimes."

The missionary was like "what the fuck did i just witness? How did i meet jews in the middle of China!?"

I can post some bits from the memoirs of Jan Chryzostom Pasek, a petty Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth nobleman and soldier. It's not really a very huge culture clash since he mostly talks about other European nations.

From an expedition to Denmark (aiding the Danes against the Swedes):

>The people there are handsome too; fair are the women, even too fair of complexion; finely do they attire themselves; but town or country - all wear wooden clogs. In town when they walk over the paving stones, such a racket do they make that a body cannot hear what is said to him; ladies of a higher station though, wear the same sort of slippers as Polish women do. Yet in their affections they are not as reserved as our women. For though they show at first uncommon timidity, after but one visit and the speaking of a few heedless words, they fall passionately in love and are incapable of hiding it: father, mother, rich dowry, she is prepared to forsake all and ride off with her lover, be it to the ends of the earth.

>Their beds are set into the wall like closets, and they pile them with plenty of bedclothes. They sleep naked as their mother bore them, nor do they see any shame in undressing and dressing in each other's presence, nor heed even a guest, but by candlelight they remove all their outer garments, and finally their underclothes too, hanging everything on wooden pegs; then, naked as ever they be, bolting the door and blowing out the candle, at last they crawl into that closet and go to sleep. When we told them it was unsightly, in our country a wife would not do that in front of her husband, they said: "With us there's no disgrace, and no point being ashamed of one's own members that the Lord himself created."

>As for their sleeping nude, they say, "my shirt and other garments have enough of serving me during the day and covering me; by night at least one should preserve them, and besides, what need have I to take fleas and lice into my bed at night and give them leave to bite me, thereby keeping me from delicious sleep!". Our lads played various pranks on them, but they did not break their custom.

(the year being 1658)

>That diet of theirs is exceedingly droll, for rarely do they eat anything hot, but having cooked for the whole week various pots of food, they eat it cold, taking frequent mouthfuls even while they thresh - for their womenfolk thresh with flails like the men - scarce have they threshed one sheaf but they sit down in the straw, take some bread and, spreading it with the butter which always stands with it in a firkin, they eat it, then get up again to thresh, and so they work, by bites.

>When they kill an ox, a pig or a sheep, they waste not a single drop of blood, but draw it off into a vessel; they stir into it hulled barley or buckwheat, stuff the entrails of the beast with it and cook it in a pot; then on a huge platter they weave a garland of these entrails about the head of this same beast, and so at every meal it is placed on the table and eaten as a great delicacy. Even in gentry homes they do so; and they pestered me to death, offering it to me, until at last I said it does not befit Poles to eat it, for our dogs would turn against us, it being their dish.

The Roman Empire as described by the Weilüe, a third century Chinese historical text.

>The kingdom of Da Qin (Rome) is also called Lijian. It is west of Anxi (Parthia) and Tiaozhi (Characene and Susiana), and west of the Great Sea.

>From the city of Angu (Gerrha), on the frontier of Anxi (Parthia), you take a boat and cut directly across to Haixi (‘West of the Sea’ = Egypt). With favourable winds it takes two months; if the winds are slow, perhaps a year; if there is no wind, perhaps three years.

>The country (that you reach) is west of the sea (haixi), which is why it is called Haixi (literally: ‘West of the Sea’ = Egypt). There is a river (the Nile) flowing out of the west of this country, and then there is another great sea (the Mediterranean). The city of (Wu) Chisan (Alexandria) is in Haixi (Egypt).

>From below this country you go north to reach the city of Wudan (Tanis?). You (then) head southwest and cross a river (the Sebannitus branch of the Nile?) by boat, which takes a day. You head southwest again, and again cross a river (the Canopis branch of the Nile?) by boat, which takes another day. There are, in all, three major cities [that you come to].

>Now, if you leave the city of Angu (Gerrha) by the overland route, you go north to Haibei (‘North of the Sea’ – the lands between Babylonia and Jordan), then west to Haixi (Egypt), then turn south to go through the city of Wuchisan (Alexandria). After crossing a river, which takes a day by boat, you circle around the coast (to the region of Apollonia, the port of Cyrene). (From there, i.e. the region of Apollonia) six days is generally enough to cross the (second) great sea (the Mediterranean) to reach that country (Da Qin = Rome).

>This country (the Roman Empire) has more than four hundred smaller cities and towns. It extends several thousand li in all directions.13 The king has his capital (that is, the city of Rome) close to the mouth of a river (the Tiber).14 The outer walls of the city are made of stone.

>This region has pine trees, cypress, sophora, catalpa, bamboo, reeds, poplars, willows, parasol trees, and all sorts of plants.15 The people cultivate the five grains [traditionally: rice, glutinous and non-glutinous millet, wheat and beans], and they raise horses, mules, donkeys, camels and silkworms.16 (They have) a tradition of amazing conjuring. They can produce fire from their mouths, bind and then free themselves, and juggle twelve balls with extraordinary skill.17

>The ruler of this country is not permanent. When disasters result from unusual phenomena, they unceremoniously replace him, installing a virtuous man as king, and release the old king, who does not dare show resentment.18

>The common people are tall and virtuous like the Chinese, but wear hu (‘Western’) clothes. They say they originally came from China, but left it.19

>They have always wanted to communicate with China but, Anxi (Parthia), jealous of their profits, would not allow them to pass (through to China).20

>The common people can write in hu (‘Western’) script.21 They have multi-storeyed public buildings and private; (they fly) flags, beat drums, (and travel in) small carriages with white roofs, and have a postal service with relay sheds and postal stations, like in the Middle Kingdom (China).

>From Anxi (Parthia) you go around Haibei (‘North of the Sea’ – the lands between Babylonia and Jordan) to reach this country.22

>The people (of these countries) are connected to each other. Every 10 li (4.2 km) there is a ting (relay shed or changing place), and every 30 li (12.5 km) there is a zhi (postal station).23 There are no bandits or thieves, but there are fierce tigers and lions that kill those travelling on the route. If you are not in a group, you cannot get through.24

>This country (Rome) has installed dozens of minor kings. The king’s administrative capital (Rome) is more than 100 li (42 km) around.25 There is an official Department of Archives.

>The king has five palaces at 10 li (4.2 km) intervals. He goes out at daybreak to one of the palaces and deals with matters until sunset and then spends the night there. The next day he goes to another palace and, in five days makes a complete tour. They have appointed thirty-six leaders who discuss events frequently.26 If one leader does not show up, there is no discussion. When the king goes out for a walk, he always orders a man to follow him holding a leather bag. Anyone who has something to say throws his or her petition into the bag. When he returns to the palace, he examines them and determines which are reasonable.27

>They use glass to make the pillars and table utensils in the palaces.28 They manufacture bows and arrows.

>They divide the various branch principalities of their territory into small countries such as that of the king of Zesan (Azania?),29 the king of Lüfen (Leucos Limen),30 the king of Qielan (Wadi Sirhan),31 the king of Xiandu (Leukê Komê),32 the king of Sifu (Petra),33 (and that of) the king of Yuluo (Karak).34 There are so many other small kingdoms it is impossible to give details on each one.

>This country produces fine linen.1 They make gold and silver coins. One gold coin is equal to ten silver coins.2

>They have fine brocaded cloth that is said to be made from the down of ‘water-sheep’. It is called Haixi (‘Egyptian’) cloth. This country produces the six domestic animals, which are all said to come from the water.3

>It is said that they not only use sheep’s wool, but also bark from trees, or the silk from wild cocoons,4 to make brocade, mats, pile rugs, woven cloth and curtains, all of them of good quality, and with brighter colours than those made in the countries of Haidong (“East of the Sea”).5

>Furthermore, they regularly make a profit by obtaining Chinese silk, unravelling it, and making fine hu (‘Western’) silk damasks.6 That is why this country trades with Anxi (Parthia) across the middle of the sea. The seawater is bitter and unable to be drunk, which is why it is rare for those who try to make contact to reach China.

>The mountains (of this country) produce nine-coloured jewels (fluorite) of inferior quality. They change colour on different occasions from blue-green to red, yellow, white, black, green, purple, fiery red, and dark blue.7 Nowadays nine-coloured stones of the same type are found in the Yiwu Shan (a mountain range east of Hami).8

>In the third Yangjia year (CE 134), the king of Shule (Kashgar), Chen Pan [who had been made a hostage at the court of the Kushan emperor, for some period between 114 and 120, and was later placed on the throne of Kashgar by the Kushans],9 offered a blue (or green) gem and a golden girdle from Haixi (Egypt).10

>Moreover, the Xiyu Jiutu (‘Ancient Sketch of the Western Regions’) now says that both Jibin (Kapisha-Gandhāra) and Tiaozhi (Characene and Susiana) produce precious stones approaching the quality of jade.11

Section 14 – Roman Dependencies

Now, (the Roman Empire) can be summed up as follows: the number of people and families cannot be given in detail. It is the biggest country west of the Bai Congling (‘White Pamir Mountains’).1 They have installed numerous minor kings so only the bigger dependencies are noted here:

depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.html#section11

See source for the rest.

>They do not have stoves in their houses, unless they be grand gentlemen, because the king takes a big tax from them; 100 thales per year, so they said. But they have broad hearths with as many chairs around them as people in the household; and so sitting they warm themselves. Or sometimes for better heating of the room there's a small channel, like a little trough, in the center of a room; it being filled with live coals, they puff on them from one end, causing them to glow and spread warmth.

This is because of Zoroastrianism in which the "motto" is "good thoughts, good words, good deeds". The main premise in the religion is that by not thinking of bad actions, they won't be made

>The churches there are very beautiful, having been Catholic before; the service, too, is more beautiful than that of our Polish Calvinists because you see altars and pictures in the churches. We attended some sermons, since they had prepared them in Latin especially for us and invited us to hear them, and so circumspectly did they preach, without prounouncing the slightest word contra fidem [against the faith] that you would say a Roman priest is preaching; and they were proud of this, telling us: we believe in the same thing you do, in vain do you call us apostates.

>But, as usual Father Piekarski flayed us for being present: many another attended in order to see the lovely damsels and their ways. During their German [Lutheran] service, they cover their eyes, the men with their hats, the women with their veils, and bowing, put their heads beneath the benches; at that time our boys would steal their books from them, their handkerchiefs, etc. Once, the preacher observed this, and so hard did he laugh that for laughing he could not finish the sermon. And we, watching that, had to laugh too. The Lutherans stupebant [were stunned] that we are laughing, the preacher along with us.

>Afterward, he cited the example of the soldier who asked a hermit to pray for him: the hermit knelt down to pray, meanwhile the soldier snatched the little sheep who carried the hermit's bundle and fled. At the end of this story, exclamavit: O devotionem supra devotiones! alter orat, alter furatur. [He exclaimed: O devotion of devotions! One prays, the other steals.]

Do you mean Yuan dynasty or Song dynasty?

The other day I decided to drive through the bad part of town. I probably saw 20 or so crack addicts on the ground, several burnt out cars and a child chained in the front yard, next to the corpse of another child.

This is my experience with the Irish of Chicago