The Embodiment of Different Cultures in the Sogdian Slave Trade Contract: The Impact of Zoroastrianism on the Sogdian Diaspora Identity
Abstract
Past research on Sogdians chiefly focus on their economic activities and their remained relics, but rarely concern on the topic of identity due to scarce document about the Sogdian socio-cultural environment. This essay attempts to show the elements in the identity of the Sogdian diaspora and the potential causes behind it by analyzing the Sogdian slave trade contract excavated in Turfan, China and other Chinese excavated Sogdian artifacts. By analyzing the content of the contract, combined with Ian Lilley’s theory about diaspora identity, it is found that the contract content was heavily influenced by two cultural factors mainly, which are the Central Plain culture and Zoroastrianism. The former factor contained Chinese jurisprudential thought, legal system and customs, presented in the contract’s form, structure and text details. The latter was shown through the Zoroastrian legal and familial values reflected in the text, as well as the mention of traditional calendar. During the analysis, an analogy was made between the possible Sogdian jurisprudence and the Sassanid law. Both cultural factors contributed to the maintenance of the Sogdian indigenous cultural identity.
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