Taisan

Taisan is the title that Theophylact Simocatta gives to the ruler of Taugast. He explains it as “son of god”.^[1] Taugast is China.^[2]

The passage

Theophylact writes about Taugast in book seven of his History, in a digression on the peoples of the east.^[3] After a civil war ended, he says, the Chagan of the Turks managed his affairs in prosperity. He made an agreement with the men of Taugast, so that peace on every side would leave his rule unchallenged.^[3] Then Theophylact writes: “The regional commander of Taugast is called Taisan, which signifies ‘son of god’ in the Greek tongue.”^[1] The Greek word for the ruler is κλιματάρχης, the commander of a region. The title is spelled Ταϊσάν.^[4] Theophylact goes on to say that the realm of Taugast is not troubled by discord, because descent decides who is chosen as its leader.^[5]

The way of the report

The information about Taugast most likely reached the Romans with the Göktürk embassy that brought the khagan’s letter of victory to the emperor Maurice.^[6] The name Taugast is the Tabgach of the Turkic sources.^[2] The Kül Tegin inscription calls the Chinese tabgač.^[7] The Göktürk khans also used a heavenly style of their own. In a letter to the Sui emperor that the Sui Shu preserves, Ishbara called himself son of Heaven, 天子, born of Heaven.^[8]

References

^ a b Theophylact Simocatta; Whitby 1986, p. 191–192
^ a b Golden 1992, p. 109
^ a b Theophylact Simocatta; Whitby 1986, p. 191
^ Theophylact Simocatta; Bekker 1834, p. 286
^ Theophylact Simocatta; Whitby 1986, p. 192
^ Whitby 1986, p. 191–192
^ Kül Tegin inscription
^ Sui Shu (Book of Sui), juan 84

Sources

Literature

Michael Whitby, Mary Whitby (trans.), The History of Theophylact Simocatta (1986)
Immanuel Bekker (ed.), Theophylacti Simocattae Historiarum libri octo (1834)
Peter B. Golden, An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples (1992)