Sample outline

·        Introduction

o   Thesis: Based on historical, DNA and circumstantial evidence, it is reasonable to posit that the inhabitants of Liquian village are, in fact, descended from members of Marcus Licinius Crassus’ lost legion. 

·        Historical background/Plutarch

o   In 55 BCE, Crassus was awarded the province of Syria

§  He wanted not only more wealth, but military glory

·        He wanted to be on par with his co-triumvirs Pompey and Caesar

§  In 53 BCE, Crassus crossed into Parthia without the aid of the king of Armenia and was defeated by a numerically smaller Parthian cavalry force. 

·        Dio Cassius claims that the Parthians poured liquid gold intro Crassus’ mouth to symbolize the lust and pursuit for wealth that had brought his death upon himself and his men (Dio Cassius 40.27)

o   According to Plutarch, following the final battle between Crassus' legions and the Parthians, "…some of them [the soldiers] came down and surrendered themselves, others were scattered up and down in the night, a very few of whom got safe home, and others… hunted down and put to death.  It is generally said, that in all twenty thousand men were slain and ten thousand taken prisoners." (Plutarch)

·        Theory first posited by Homer H. Dubs in 1955

o   Based on "...a couple of rather vague references found in Chinese historical writings." (Gifford, p. 184)

§  Prof Dubs theorized that they made their way as a mercenary troop eastwards, which was how a troop "with a fish-scale formation" came to be captured by the Chinese in 38 BCE. He said the "fish-scale formation" was a reference to the Roman "tortoise", a phalanx protected by shields on all sides and from above. (Spencer)

o   Gifford asks around the village and generally gets the same response, typified by the first man he meets: "Some people have said that." p. 185

o   "The only thing vaguely Roman about the dusty village is a forlorn little portico put up by the local government with psudo-Roman pillars…" p. 185

o   Gifford concludes that "…this is all a rather hopeful effort by an Oxford professor and a few ambitious local officials to prove a link between two of the great empires of the past.  The closest links I can see are the green eyes of many of Liqian's inhabitants, but there are plenty of Tajiks, Uighurs, Persians, and Pashtuns who have green eyes." p. 185

·        DNA evidence—For and against

o   Caucasian features (Spencer)

o   One Chinese study, published in 2007, found that "Roman mercenary origin could not be accepted as true according to paternal genetic variation, and the current Liqian population is more likely to be a subgroup of the Chinese majority Han." (Wikipedia, original published in Journal of Human Genetics)

o   But a more recent study, completed in 2010, showed that 56 percent of Liquan inhabitants’ DNA was Caucasian in origin.  (Squires)

§  But many remain skeptical

·        Maurizio Bettini, a classical anthropologist : "For it to be indisputable, one would need to find items such as Roman money or weapons that were typical of Roman legionaries, without proof of this kind, the story of the lost legions is just a legend." (Squires)

§  Chinese scientists are carrying out excavations in the area, looking for tombs, a fort or any of other evidence referenced in local lore. 

·        Circumstantial evidence

o   Although many other Asians with Caucasian features (Gifford states Tajiks, Uighurs, Persians, and Pashtuns), the high concentration in one place is unusual

o   Although the Silk Road spread DNA as well as goods, much of the genetic spread was obliterated by the spread of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and his immediate descendants.       

§  According to a 2003 study, 8% of all Asian men are patralinialy descended from the Khan of Khans (Zerjal et al)

·        And the Gobi desert is right on Genghis’ doorstep

o   Without a strong and concentrated ethnic group, how could a minority, such as the Roman Liquian, have avoided genetic obliteration?

·        Conclusion

o   The critics do have a point, genetic evidence is very little without the physical evidence to back it up

§  However, the Gobi Desert is one of the most unforgiving environments on earth and the survival of small items such as swords, armor, coins, etc is slim. 

o   Still, even if Dubbs was mistaken, he opened a doorway