페르시아 문화의 동진과 소그드 민족의 역할 - 조로아스터교와 마니교를 중심으로 -

Abstract

Sogdians were Iranian peoples and from 6th Century BC lived in Sogdiana which was located in Zarafshan valley between Amu-Darya and Sir-Darya. They have never established a big empire or kingdom. But they established many colonial cities along the Silk Road from Khorasan to China proper as strongholds for their trade. They found their way into the court of Byzantine Empire to the west and the court of China to the east. In fact, therefore, the owner of Silk Road was historically the Sogdians. The Sogdians were not only traders but also cultural mission. They transmitted the Chinese culture to the west and conveyed Persian and Byzantine culture to the central and east Asia. In particular, their unrestrained and free spirited character didn't make them adhere on the only one religion. They embraced the Persian religions, Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism as well as the Nestorian Christianity from the west and Buddhism from the south and transmitted these religions into the Central Asia and China, where they played a great part for the cultural development. So in this article the concerns are focused on the two Persian religions, Zoroastrianim and Manichaeism and the role of Sogdians for their east spread.