Terrien de Lacouperie was a nineteenth
century French Sinologist
who spent most of his life studying the
history and ancient records of China. He was widely respected at the
time for his research and discoveries and widely honored for his
efforts. He developed a theory regarding the origin of the Chinese
civilization that I find very interesting and which supports my
theory of the Jaredite migration through Asia, and their subsequent influence on
the peopling of China.
From his studies, he hypothesized that
the early colonists of China were a civilized people from Mesopotamia
who introduced the civilization of the Sumerians into eastern Asia.
He claims that they were what he calls “Bak” tribes from the
Semite nation of Elam. The Elamites were a neighboring nation of the
Sumerians at the time, and were politically subservient to them. He
suggests that the “Baks” left Elam during a period of political
turmoil and traveled eastward across Asia and settled in China.
Quoting from Lacouperie:
"The
early Chinese intruders and civilizers were the
Bak tribes, about sixteen in number, who arrived on the
N.W. borders of China not long after the great rising which
had taken place in S.W. Asia at the beginning of the twenty-third
century B.C. in Susiana. Their former seat was within
the dominating influence of the latter country, as they
were acquainted with its civilization, a reflex of the
Babylo-Assyrian
focus."
He then gives a list of correspondences between Sumerian and Chinese culture which tend to substantiate his claims. (see list at bottom of blog.)
Lacouperie's theory supports my idea
that the Jaredites left Sumer following the Confusion of Tongues and
migrated eastward through Asia. They traveled slowly, periodically
stopping to plant crops and harvest them, before resuming their
journey eastward. During these stops, they establishing settlements
of the sick, disabled or weary who were left behind. Arriving in the
area of China, they traveled down the valley of the Yellow River
(Huang He River) until they reached the Pacific coast.
This is described in the Aztec legends, speaking of their progenitors, which were recorded by the historian Boturini.
“Having
left the land and country of Sennaar [Shinar] with their numerous
descendents, and guided by divine providence...they scattered through
the great forest [wilderness?] of the earth, and having come to pass
all these things, that I have written in the first age, until in the
second [age] the kinships having multiplied with the new addition of
servants, and increasing in numbers, they traveled for a long time in
Asia…going from one place to another and carrying with them seeds,
particularly of corn, chili, and beans, and in each region they cut
down the forests [cleared the land] and prepared farm land [sowing
fields], and perhaps leaving behind the aged and weary that they
might populate those lands; and so they walked that with time they
were nearing America, and at last they entered and set foot on their
continent (From “Idea de Una Nueva Historia General de la America
Septentroinial, by Lorenzo Boturini, P.
126).”
Returning to Lacouperie, he also
suggested that there was an earlier population of barbarians residing
in China when the “Bak” group arrived and that they civilized
these natives. However, I disagree with him on this point as
Moriancumer, the leader of the Jaredites, was told that they would be
going to a land where man had never been (Ether 2:5), so the area
should have been unpopulated when they arrived. Any resulting
civilization in China would have been that propagated by the
Jaredites who were left behind. They would have passed on the
culture that they had learned from the Sumerians.
Following his death in 1894,
Lacouperie's writings and theories fell our of favor with the
scholars. They felt that his translations were flawed and maintained
that civilization in China had been an independent development, not
the result of outside cultural influences. As a result of this
scholarly ostracism, few people are aware of Lacouperie's writings or
findings.
From my study of his works, I find him
to be very knowledgeable and thorough. I feel that his translations
are accurate, and he has thoroughly documented all his findings.
In response to those critics who reject
his idea of a culture derived from Mesopotamia, Lacouperie wrote:
“The science of history has now
shown, in all known instances, that centers of civilization never
arose elsewhere than amid a conflict of races, when sparks, coming
from a more enlightened quarter, have brought in an initiating and
leading spirit, under the form of one or several men, or of
immigrating tribes, incited by trade, religion, or in search of
safety. The same science has shown moreover that man has always
traveled more extensively than was formerly supposed, that 'there is
no such thing as the history of one country,' and that intelligent
nations always borrow fresh elements of civilisation whenever they
have the opportunity of doing so … that in all investigated cases,
culture is the result of an introduction from abroad, and not of a
spontaneous development [emphasis mine] (from Western Origin of the
Early Chinese Civilization, Lacouperie, 1894, Introduction).”
I believe that this is a true statement
of fact. It is true for China. It is true for Mesoamerica, where
scholars assert the same notion, that the Mesoamerican peoples
developed their culture independent of any other group or people.
If we accept the scriptures as valid
history, which they are, we can observe that society has always
descended from an original source. Adam was the primary source for this world, and
his posterity reflected his intelligence and culture. Following the
flood we had a new source in the man Noah and his family. All
nations, peoples and cultures descended and benefited from this man's
civilized knowledge and influence.
Unfortunately, the humanistic scholars
believe in the notion of cultural evolution – that primitive man,
over milleniums of time, has gradually evolved the various
civilizations of the earth, independent of one another. This is on
the order of claiming that all societies utilizing modern technology
developed this science spontaneously and independently on their own
without outside influence. Such a claim would be ridiculous, as is
the claim that ancient societies derived their cultures independently
without inheriting attributes from other outside groups.
But back to Lacouperie, if he is
correct, he has shed more light on the history of the Jaredites, and
we are better able to understand their origin and story.
Some
other works by Terrien de Lacouperie
which relate to this
subject:
Early
History of the
Chinese Civilization.
The
Languages of
China before the Chinese.
The
Old Babylonian Characters
and their Chinese
Derivates.
Catalogue
of Chinese Coins
from the 7th
cent. B.C. to A.D. 621.
The
Oldest Book
of the Chinese,
the Yh
King, and its
Authors.
Beginnings
of Writing
in Central
and Eastern Asia.
History
of the Civilisation
of China. 2
Vols.
Numerous
articles in the periodical The Babylonian and Oriental Record.
The
Silk Goddess of China and Her Legend.
Most
of these books and articles can be found free and online at
www.archive.org
Lacouperie's list of Sumerian/Chinese correspondences:
(1) The art of writing
(2) Writing from top to bottom and from right to left
(3) Engraved, not relief writing
(4) characters derived from those of Babylonia and
still semi-hieroglyphical
(5) Similar meaning of the characters
(6) Their phonetic and polyphonic values
(7) Their imperfect system of aerology and phonetism
(8) probably some written texts
(9) the use of lists of written characters arranged (10) phonetically,
(10) lists of written characters arranged phonetically
(11) lists of written characters arranged ideographically
(12) some souvenirs of the cuneiform or monumental form of writing
(13) the extensive use of seals
(14) the shifted cardinal points of Assyro-Babylonia
(15) the symbols to write them [the cardinal points]
(16) astronomical instruments
(17) many names of stars and constellations
(18) of twenty-four stellar points
(19) the twelve Babylonian months
(20) with an inter-calary month
(21) and a certain use of the week
(22) the erection of lofty terraces for astronomical purposes, etc.
(23) the machinery of Imperial Government
(24) titles of dignities
(25) the names of several offices with which they had been made familiar near Susiana
(26) the system of twelve pastors
(27) the concept of four regions
(28) and a special officer bearing that title
(29) the political idea of a Middle Kingdom
(30) many proper names which, appearing
in their beginnings and once restored to an approximation of
their old form, are easily recognized as similar to some names
used in the aforesaid S.W. Asiatic countries, etc.
(31) the cycle of ten
(32) the cycle of twelve
(33) several standard measures
(34) the twelve scales of music
(35) the decimal notation
(36) the ten periods, etc.
(37) the wheat, which, is aboriginal in Mesopotamia only
(38) the arts of claybrick building
(39) of embanking rivers
(40) the making of canals
(41) many words of Akkado-Sumerian and Babylonian civilization
(42) the use of metals
(43) many minor notions of arts and science, such as
(44) the fire drill
(45) the use of war-chariots with horses harnessed abreast, etc.
(46) the practice of divination
(47) the use of eight wands of fate
(48) known terms of good or bad fortune
(49) numerical categories
(50) the symbolic tree of life or calenderic plant
(51) special emblems on their rulers' dress
(52) the worship or at least the name of Utuku (=Tik), otherwise Shamash, as supreme god
(53) the six honoured ones, or the six gods of Susiana
(54) the ruling idea that events repeat themselves
(55) the lucky and unlucky days
(56) the mythical colours of planets
(57) the concept of Yn and Yang
(58) large square altars, etc.
(59) the royal canon of Babylonia
(60) many peculiar legends therein, etc.
From The Languages of China Before the Chinese, Lacouperie, p. 125.
