Lands of Asia layouts (Eng) 26.11.21

part iv | migrations of cultures
Egyptian city of Alexandria. According to H. Dubs, an embassy from Parthia with
the Alexandrian magicians arrived in China between 110 and 100 BC. We also know
for a fact that an envoy of the Roman Empire sent by Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD
161–180) arrived in China in AD 166, having travelled along the entire length of
the Silk Road, covering the thousands of kilometres from Rome to the capital of the
Chinese empire.
No doubt two-humped Bactrian camels accompanied the envoy on this journey.
The camel’s endurance and ability to locate underground springs and to sense
approaching sandstorms, which could be lethal, as Edward Schaefer relates, helped
travellers to cross the vast deserts of Asia.
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