True, though i wouldn’t really say there were “many” minor kings, but the distance and info being likely filtered through sources from Sassanid empire which was on the rise during the Shapur reign, influenced that.
A lot of China’s interpretations of Rome came through the various empires in between the two, and those various empires make a killing as middlemen along the silk road, so I think you’re onto something there.
True, though i wouldn’t really say there were “many” minor kings, but the distance and info being likely filtered through sources from Sassanid empire which was on the rise during the Shapur reign, influenced that.
A lot of China’s interpretations of Rome came through the various empires in between the two, and those various empires make a killing as middlemen along the silk road, so I think you’re onto something there.