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DNA to Test Theory of Roman Village in China

Posted by Zonk on from the now-that-is-lost dept.

Reverse Gear writes "Many of the inhabitants of a lonely village in north western China seems to have distinctive western features. An old theory from the 50s suggests that a Roman legion lost in what is now Iran in the year 53BC lost their commanding officer. They traveled east, so the legend goes, working as mercenaries until they were caught by the Chinese 17 years later. The Chinese described them as using a 'fish-scale formation', which could be a reference to the well-known Roman phalanx technique called the 'tortoise'. The remainder of the legion, it is suggested, may have intermarried with the villagers in Liqian. Scientists are now trying to verify the fascinating theory by testing the DNA of the inhabitants of the Chinese village."

4 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Pasta by CRCulver · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If proven, then the theory that Marco Polo brought spaghetti to Italy will finally have some competition. Were noodles, in fact, a Roman invention introduced to the Chinese?

    The problem of ascribing pasta to the Romans is that this particular food is not described in the texts at all. We know more about Roman dining customs than about any other ancient people, with whole recepies reconstructed, see Patrick Fass' Around the Roman Table (University of Chicago Press, 2005). And pasta is nowhere to be found.

  2. Re:How can they test? by peragrin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is only passed down from mother to daughter. while a male child will get it from his mother his child will get it from theirs.

    A roman legion is most likely all male. while possible a few women a were present it is doubtful. especially after being lost for 17 years.

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    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  3. Re:Liqian == Legion? by nephridium · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Thanks for that. After searching around a bit using the Chinese characters I could find quite an informative article for the Economist from just over two years ago describing the situation there.

    On my web-search for "Roman looking" Chinese I found this commented slideshow (flash) showing a little girl with blond hair and a local farmer with green eyes.

    Well, let's see what the DNA study will uncover.


    Btw - Liqian and "legion" does sound similar, but keep in mind that the original Latin pronunciation does differ quite a bit from the contemporary English (and even Italian) pronunciation.

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    And when you gaze long enough into the code, the code will also gaze into you.
  4. Re:suspicious?? by ucblockhead · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Blonde hair is a recessive trait, which means that it can easily hide for many generations, especially in a population where it is rare.

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    The cake is a pie