Sogdian merchant diasporas and oasis-city commerce (4th–8th centuries CE)

1. Sogdian letters reveal merchant communities in China

   Jan 1, 313Labels: Dunhuang letters, Sogdian merchants

   • Smithsonian
   • IDP

2. Hephthalite takeover reshapes Sogdiana’s political landscape

   Jan 1, 479Labels: Hephthalite Empire, Sogdiana

   • Hephthalites

3. Northern Wei begins formal oversight of Sogdian communities

   Jan 1, 500Labels: Northern Wei, Sogdian communities

   • Sabao

4. Sabao offices expand to manage trade and foreign affairs

   Jan 1, 550Labels: Sabao office, Chinese administration

   • Sabao

5. Turkic Khaganate rises, linking steppe power to Silk Road trade

   Jan 1, 552Labels: Turkic Khaganate, Steppe elites

   • Bugut

6. Wirkak’s epitaph records a Sogdian sabao career

   Jan 1, 579Labels: Wirkak epitaph, Sabao

   • Smithsonian
   • Wirkak

7. Sogdian used on Bugut stele for Turkic imperial message

   Jan 1, 584Labels: Bugut stele, Sogdian script

   • Bugut

8. Sui reunifies China, strengthening long-distance market integration

   Jan 1, 589Labels: Sui dynasty, China reunification

   • Britannica

9. Tang annexes Gaochang (Turfan), tightening control of an oasis hub

   Sep 19, 640Labels: Gaochang Turfan, Tang annexation

   • Gaochang
   • Anxi

10. Anxi Protectorate and Four Garrisons secure key oasis-city routes

    Jan 1, 658Labels: Anxi Protectorate, Four Garrisons

    • Anxi
    • Garrisons

11. Battle of Talas weakens Tang reach in Central Asia

    Jul 1, 751Labels: Battle of, Tang-Abbasid conflict

    • Talas

12. An Lushan Rebellion triggers anti-foreign backlash in Tang China

    Dec 1, 755Labels: An Lushan, Tang xenophobia

    • Britannica
    • Tang timeline