Abstract:
Two empires - Eastern Han Empire and Roman Empire of the West represented the two hegemonic empires of the Eurasian continent by the end of Hellenistic period and the first centuries of late antiquity. The paper analyzes the Sinocentrism idea established back in Qin dynasty of Han empire in China, according to which China was a World’s cultural centre, and at the given background, relying upon the historical sources (Pliny the Elder, Lucius Aneus Florius...) artefacts and scientific literature, study and analyses of the existing political, trade-economic or cultural contacts, between the Roman and Han Empires, which were carried out through the transcontinental trade routes (Silk Road, which took its beginning in the period of Han Dynasty).
By the I century A.D. the link is established between Europe and China, which is proved by the discovery of Roman coins and objects on the territory of Han Empire. In Han Empire the glassware, objects of luxury – gold embroidered carpets gold-plated and asbestos pieces produced in Roman Empire – Alexandria and Syria were highly valued in the period of Han Empire. While in Rome Chinese silk was highly popular. It is noteworthy that despite the ethnocentric ideology of the Han dynasty, the Chinese reverently referred to Rome and called "Daqin" the Great Qin, while the Romans called China "Seres" (Latin Seres ) - "the Land of Silk" or "Silk".
