丝绸之路贸易与罗马帝国-帕提亚的政治关系辨析

The Silk Road Trade and the Roman Empire-Analysis of Political Relationships in Parthia

公元前2世纪末,张骞出使西域,打通了中国内地经西域至中亚、西亚的商路,丝绸之路正式开通。中国丝绸等商品开始大量出口至帕提亚,并通过帕提亚的中介商转运至罗马。罗马帝国对东方商品,尤其是丝绸的大量需求,使它与帕提亚间的贸易具有了重大意义。对于罗马帝国来说,它的丝绸之路贸易主要指与帕提亚间的陆路贸易。从公元前1世纪初开始,罗马在小亚、叙利亚地区开始了东扩的进程,尤其是公元前64年罗马叙利亚行省的建立,使罗马与帕提亚的领土直接接壤。在此之后直到公元初两个世纪的罗马帝国时期,双方的边界虽然经常变化,但基本维持在两河流域地区,尤其是亚美尼亚-幼发拉底河一线。双方的政治关系在某种意义上决定了两河流域至叙利亚间丝绸之路贸易的程度和水平,而以丝绸贸易为代表的丝绸之路贸易也成为罗马帝国与帕提亚政治关系的重要影响因素。

At the end of the 2nd century B.C.,Zhang Qian was sent to the western regions through which he opened up the commercial road from the China's Mainland to Central Asia and Western Asia.In so doing,the Silk Road was officially established.Chinese silk and other goods began to be exported to Parthia in large quantities and were transferred to the Roman Empire through Parthian intermediaries.The great demand for Oriental goods,especially the silk,made the trade between the Roman Empire and Parthia significant.The Silk Road trade of the Roman Empire mainly referred to the land trade between it and Parthia.From the beginning of the 1st century B.C.,the Roman Republic began to expand eastward towards Asia Minor and Syria,and especially the establishment of Syria province in 64 B.C.made the eastern territory of the Roman Republic adjacent to Parthia.After that,until the first two centuries A.D.,although the borders of the two sides changed frequently,they were basically maintained in the two river basins,especially along the Armenia-Euphrates River line.In a sense,the political relationships between the two sides determined the degree and level of the Silk Road trade from the two river basins to Syria,and the Silk Road trade represented by the silk trade had become an influential factor of political relationship between the Roman Empire and Parthia.