ABSTRACT
Most readers with knowledge of the silk roads might first think of the people known as Sogdians as traders and their remarkable commercial achievements. Unlike other groups, the role of Sogdians in the cultural sphere has yet to be explored in depth. This chapter surveys Sogdian cultural influences in Eurasia based on archaeological findings and textual materials. The Sogdians were “cultural bees” who moved among various centres of civilisation along the silk roads. Four topic areas are examined. The Sogdian borrowing of outside ideas and traditions in their homeland, transmission of their culture to other countries, transmission of non-Sogdian traits to other countries, and acculturation in China.
