Seres/Serae

region · 330 BC – 300 AD

An ancient people, tribe, or cultural group whom we would situate in northern China. Their location and identity were usually confused with Scythians and Parthians up to Pliny's time. The names "Seres" and "Serae" are evidently derived from the Chinese "sī" for silk, and so the Chinese silk trade with the west is assumed to have have played a formative role in the Greek and Roman perception of this people.

Coordinates
37.45099, 94.25744
Also known as
Serae, Seres (la), Seres (la), Serica (grc), Σηρικά (grc), Σῆρες (grc)
Dating
attested

Sources

See Seres/Serae on the map →

Seres/Serae — Ancient Maps