提 要：《后汉书》以及关于魏晋南北朝诸史西域传中多包括大秦传，这些记载反映了公元1到5世纪中国社会对于罗马帝国的了解和想象。本文以《后汉书·大秦传》为中心分析这些记载的特点，认为相关信息是经过各种中间渠道传入中国，并非国人亲眼所见。把大秦知识传入中国的中介主要是安息人、贵霜人和南印度居民。中国人大体上从东汉永元年间（89—105年）主要通过安息人和贵霜人开始了解罗马帝国。2世纪中叶之后，关于罗马帝国的新消息则是通过南印度和南海路传入中国的。

关键词：大秦 《后汉书》罗马帝国 印度

Title:Hearsays about the Roman Empire in 1-5th Century Chinese Sources: Centered on the biography of Daqin inHou Hanshu

Author: Lin Ying, Associate Professor, Department of History, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 51275, China.

Abstract:The biography of Daqin and other accounts of Daqin in the standard histories during the 1st century to the 5th century contain the knowledge and imagination of Chinese toward Daqin, i.e. the Roman Empire. This study discusses the proper characteristics of Daqin different from those of other western regions (Xiyu) in Hou Hanshu. It arrives at the conclusion that most knowledge on Daqin during this period are hearsays, which is to say the information was diffused by a variety of middlemen into China. Judging from the Hou Hanshu and other standard histories, these middlemen included Parthians, Kushans, and people from South India. The Yongyuan Period (AD 89- 105) marked the beginning of Chinese exploration on the Roman Empire. Down to the mid 2nd century, India began to play more and more important role in the investigation on Daqin.

Key words: Daqin Hou Hanshu the Roman Empire India