This is the third in our series on the relationship between China and the Roman Empire - in this case the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire).

Here we have an extract from the Old Book of Tang, the first history compiled of the Tang Dynasty in 945 AD. It is a compilation of earlier annals, dating from the 7th century up until the 10th, which shine light on the Chinese opinion of the Byzantine empire and the various embassies between the two states.

Thanks again to the Seattle Silk Road website - a great resource:

https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/texts.html

How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.

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By Taha b. Wasiq b. Hussain - Created by the help of Muawiya's bust on coins and historical descriptions of him. Medium: Acrylic paintPreviously published: https://scontent.fkhi10-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/75223621_967363183596811_4941094870270869504_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQnObarlPkLHP4JhpdHaHNAwTp3o4sAnKPkfyNw4OZzk0Yof68winqTkYmHc_ICZxrI&_nc_ht=scontent.fkhi10-1.fna&oh=4e11884204262da573c3d0a231aa2f3d&oe=5E5E508B, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83421817