Sabao

Sabao (薩保, Sàbǎo, "Protector, Guardian") was an official Chinese title in the 5th-7th centuries CE, used for government-appointed leaders of the Sogdian immigrant-merchant community.^[1] The word sabao is derived from the Sogdian word s’rtp’w, "caravan leader".^[1] Sabaos also often had titles of "Prefects", with regional responsibilities, in the Chinese administration : An Jia was Sabao and Grand Governor (大都督, Dàdūdū) of Tong Prefecture.

They were in charge of commercial affairs for foreign merchants from Middle Asia doing businesses in China, as well as Zoroastrian affairs. Various Sabaos are known from their epitaphs, such as An Jia, Wirkak or Yu Hong.^[2]^[3]

The tombs of the Sabaos in China are among the most lavish of the period in this country, and are only slightly inferior to Imperial tombs, suggesting that they were among the wealthiest members of the population.^[4]

Tombs of Sabaos

Tomb of An Jia, 579 CE, Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.
The tomb of Wirkak, 580 CE, Xi'an City Museum
Tomb of Yu Hong, 592 CE, Shanxi Museum.

References

^ ^a ^b Xu, Jin 徐津 (1 January 2019). "The Funerary Couch of An Jia and the Art of Sogdian Immigrants in Sixth-century China". The Burlington Magazine.
^ "Anjia Tomb". dla.library.upenn.edu.
^ Cosmo, Nicola Di; Maas, Michael (26 April 2018). Empires and Exchanges in Eurasian Late Antiquity: Rome, China, Iran, and the Steppe, ca. 250–750. Cambridge University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-108-54810-6.
^ GRENET, Frantz (2020). Histoire et cultures de l’Asie centrale préislamique. Paris, France: Collège de France. p. 320. ISBN 978-2-7226-0516-9. Ce sont les décors funéraires les plus riches de cette époque, venant juste après ceux de la famille impériale; il est probable que les sabao étaient parmi les éléments les plus fortunés de la population.

[XJ-1] Xu, Jin 徐津 (1 January 2019). "The Funerary Couch of An Jia and the Art of Sogdian Immigrants in Sixth-century China". The Burlington Magazine.

[UPE-2] "Anjia Tomb". dla.library.upenn.edu.

[NDI90-3] Cosmo, Nicola Di; Maas, Michael (26 April 2018). Empires and Exchanges in Eurasian Late Antiquity: Rome, China, Iran, and the Steppe, ca. 250–750. Cambridge University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-108-54810-6.

[FG-4] GRENET, Frantz (2020). Histoire et cultures de l’Asie centrale préislamique. Paris, France: Collège de France. p. 320. ISBN 978-2-7226-0516-9. Ce sont les décors funéraires les plus riches de cette époque, venant juste après ceux de la famille impériale; il est probable que les sabao étaient parmi les éléments les plus fortunés de la population.

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