Roman Legion Vanished
In a land cut by the wind of the
southern Gobi desert, along the Hexi corridor
on the ancient Silk Road, the legend of a vanished Roman legion emerges. In 53 BC.
after 17 years fighting wars as a mercenary army, Parti a Marco Licinio Crasso’s legion
was captured by the Han emperor who then incarcerated them into the heart of
the Empire. The place chosen was the Hexi Path,
now belonging to Yongchang
district, in Gansu province. In the small village called Liquian, today
there still live people whose facial features are noticeably foreign: bushy
eyebrows, prominent nose, blond hair,
supported by evidence declaring that 56% of their DNA is European. Some
researchers believe the name Liquian came
from the latin word
“legion”, possibly these people are the descendants of that vanished Roman
legion. The charm of the legend, however, does not
respect historical issues.The people
of Liquian believe
their origins are from the Roman legion that reached China 17 centuries before
Marco Polo, and recall this with an exhibition of Roman costume. Here, like
real Italians, they still prepare pizza and feel strongly linked to that
ancient Roman glory.