The Romans in China: The mystery of Crassus' lost legion

The most accepted theory is that after the defeat of the Roman legions commanded by Crassus at Carrhae in 53 BC, the Parthians took a group of legionaries prisoner. Nothing more is known about them after; however, according to the chronicles of the Han dynasty, in 36 BC, a Chinese army led by General Gan Yen-shou attacked the Xiongnu. During the battle, the Chinese forces saw a strange contingent of infantry soldiers defending one of the gates, arranged in a formation resembling "fish scales." For some historians, this proves that some legionaries escaped and became mercenaries. Chinese chronicles also report that the members of this contingent survived, and due to their bravery, the Chinese decided to employ them to defend their own borders in Liqian. Today, Liqian is a small town in the province of Gansu close to the Gobi Desert, where the inhabitants have Western-type characteristics, such as aquiline noses, curly brown and red hair, or blue or green eyes.