I love reading, but factually a 667-word answer isn’t a tl;dr. 
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I’ve been imagining the University of California, Santa Barbara, in particular.
Ahhh Santa Barbara so lovely a city and so unaffordable…
Claire, your findings on the contacts between the Later Roman Empire and the Chinese was very interesting. Of course they had contact and knew of each other. After all how else did they get silk? And eventually the silk worm? That is an interesting story to look up for you! Lol. Because Constantinople was such a great center of trade, they had contact in way or another with most of the known world.
Also interestingly enough there was no Byzantine Empire. No one ever referred to it as that while it existed. They were Romans as far as they were concerned. The part of the empire that survived. Even to this day if you go to certain parts of the middle East you may here Churches or areas, or people referred to as Rum.
I must confess Chinese history is one I do not know much about. It is a deficiency on my part.
Sorry, I just wanted to point out that you didn’t need to read the whole thread, but just two posts. I guess if 667 words seems too much, then maybe you can “live without knowing” 
@Leira provided a reasonable and concise summary that’s much shorter than 667 words. However, I just want to note an important background detail that was omitted,
Spoiler (or Cliffs Notes)
Samantha was a doctor working in New York City.
This has implications for the recent installment of her story, since, in Ben’s nightmare, the wave that crashes down on her is a metaphor for the pandemic arriving in the city and taking her life, while she stood her ground and held the line at her post in the hospital.
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FTR, I did read those 667 words.
Still not a tl;dr. 
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I did not understand what a sitting shiva was. So that means… 
… yebellz! you evil-…evil-… nooooooooo!
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Sooooo, we’re getting ghosts next time I presume?
I remember saw that in the documentary, and I looked up my old history textbook it also just refer to it as Eastern Roman Empire. I think I am just not that familiar with history outside of East Asia.
Interestingly there are also records about the original Roman Empire in Chinese records call it 大秦 during the Han Dynasty since the 2nd century BC, and some later records as late as the 16th century in the Ming Dynasty still considered them as separate “nations” in the far west across the “Western Sea” (the Mediterranean Sea).
They seemed to think Europe is completely separated from Asia, and lack knowledge of Africa, but knew that there is another landmass across the Bering Strait (North America).
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It is also implied by Ben and his daughter running low on milk.
No, Sam is gone, and not coming back as a ghost.
However, there is perhaps more of her story to tell from earlier parts of her life, and how hers affected the lives of so many others.
Several decades later, an elderly woman from Lesotho is finally able to make a long-awaited trip to America. In an important part of her journey, she finds the marker shaded under a mighty sycamore, and solemnly places a stone, while she quietly weeps.
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The ancient maps are most interesting for what they know and do not know…
Interesting they thought Europe was disconnected.
Yes it was the Eastern Roman Empire. The empire had grown so large that they split into an Eastern and Western half ruled by coemperors. ( a very brief and obviously simplistic explanation)The West was overrun by βάρβαρος Barbarians. While the East lasted another thousand years. Actually by the last centuries it was hardly an empire and by the end just a city. The fall of the city is very interesting reading. Also Minis Tirith of the Lord of the Rings is based on some degree to Constantinople.
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Earlier Dynasty might have a better understanding than we thought. After the Mongol rule (the 13th and 14th centuries), lots of knowledge and old collections must have been lost.
The description from the Old book of the Tang Dynasty (舊唐書), and here is a video with the translation of this paragraph. Relatively accurate to a better degree.
拂菻國，一名大秦，在西海之上，東南與波斯接，地方萬餘里，列城四百，邑居連屬。其宮宇柱櫳，多以水精琉璃為之。有貴臣十二人共治國政，常使一人將囊隨王車，百姓有事者，即以書投囊中，王還宮省發，理其枉直。其王無常人，簡賢者而立之。國中災異及風雨不時，輒廢而更立。其王冠形如鳥舉翼，冠及瓔珞，皆綴以珠寶，著錦繡衣，前不開襟，坐金花床。有一鳥似鵝，其毛綠色，常在王邊倚枕上坐，每進食有毒，其鳥輒鳴。其都城疊石為之，尤絕高峻，凡有十萬余戶，南臨大海。城東面有大門，其高二十餘丈，自上及下，飾以黃金，光輝燦爛，連曜數里。自外至王室，凡有大門三重，列異寶雕飾。第二門之樓中，懸一大金秤，以金丸十二枚屬於衡端，以候日之十二時焉；為一金人，其大如人，立於側，每至一時，其金丸輒落，鏗然發聲，引唱以紀日時，毫釐無失。其殿以瑟瑟為柱，黃金為地，象牙為門扇，香木為棟梁。其俗無瓦，搗白石為末，羅之塗屋上，其堅密光潤，還如玉石。至於盛暑之節，人厭囂熱，乃引水潛流，上遍於屋宇，機制巧密，人莫之知。觀者惟聞屋上泉鳴，俄見四檐飛溜，懸波如瀑，激氣成涼風，其巧妙如此。
風俗，男子翦髮，披帔而右袒，婦人不開襟，錦為頭巾。家資滿億，封以上位。有羊羔生於土中，其國人候其欲萌，乃築墻以院之，防外獸所食也。然其臍與地連，割之則死，唯人著甲走馬及擊鼓以駭之，其羔警鳴而臍絕，便遂水草。俗皆髡而衣繡，乘輜軿白蓋小車，出入擊鼓，建旌旗幡幟。土多金銀奇寶，有夜光璧、明月珠、駭雞犀、大貝、車渠、瑪瑙、孔翠、珊瑚、琥珀，凡西域諸珍異多出其國。隋煬帝常將通拂菻，竟不能致。
貞觀十七年，拂菻王波多力遣使獻赤玻璃、綠金精等物，太宗降璽書答慰，賜以綾綺焉。自大食強盛，漸陵諸國，乃遣大將軍摩栧伐其都城，因約為和好，請每歲輸之金帛，遂臣屬大食焉。乾封二年，遣使獻底也伽。大足元年，復遣使來朝。開元七年正月，其主遣吐火羅大首領獻獅子、羚羊各二。不數月，又遣大德僧來朝貢。
And an even earlier record for the Rome Empire in the 3td century AD.
大秦國一號犂靬，在安息、條支西大海之西，從安息界安谷城乘船，直截海西，遇風利二月到，風遲或一歲，無風或三歲。其國在海西，故俗謂之海西。有河出其國，西又有大海。海西有遲散城，從國下直北至烏丹城，西南又渡一河，乘船一日乃過。西南又渡一河，一日乃過。凡有大都三，却從安谷城陸道直北行之海北，復直西行之海西，復直南行經之烏遲散城，渡一河，乘船一日乃過。周回繞海，凡當渡大海六日乃到其國。國有小城邑合四百餘，東西南北數千里。其王治濵側河海，以石為城郭。其土地有松、栢、槐、梓、竹、葦、楊柳、胡桐、百草。民俗，田種五穀，畜乘有馬、騾、驢、駱駞。桑蠶。俗多奇幻，口中出火，自縛自解，跳十二丸巧妙。其國無常主，國中有災異，輒更立賢人以為王，而生放其故王，王亦不敢怨。其俗人長大平正，似中國人而胡服。自云本中國一別也，常欲通使於中國，而安息圖其利，不能得過。其俗能胡書。其制度，公私宮室為重屋，旌旗擊鼓，白蓋小車，郵驛亭置如中國。從安息繞海北到其國，人民相屬，十里一亭，三十里一置，終無盜賊。但有猛虎、師子為害，行道不羣則不得過。其國置小王數十，其王所治城周回百餘里，有官曹文書。王有五宮，一宮間相去十里，其王平旦之一宮聽事，至日暮一宿，明日復至一宮，五日一周。置三十六將，每議事，一將不至則不議也。王出行，常使從人持一韋囊自隨，有白言者，受其辭投囊中，還宮乃省為決理。以水精作宮柱及器物。作弓矢。其別枝封小國，曰澤散王，曰驢分王，曰且蘭王，曰賢督王，曰汜復王，曰于羅王，其餘小王國甚多，不能一一詳之也。國出細絺。作金銀錢，金錢一當銀十。有織成細布，言用水羊毳，名曰海西布。此國六畜皆出水，或云非獨用羊毛也，亦用木皮或野蠒絲作，織成氍毹、毾㲪、𦋺帳之屬皆好，其色又鮮於海東諸國所作也。又常利得中國絲，解以為胡綾，故數與安息諸國交市於海中。海水苦不可食，故往來者希到其國中。山出九色次玉石，一曰青，二曰赤，三曰黃，四曰白，五曰黑，六曰綠，七曰紫，八曰紅，九曰紺。今伊吾山中有九色石，即其類。陽嘉三年時，踈勒王臣槃獻海西青石、金帶各一。又今西域舊圖云𦋺賔、條支諸國出琦石，即次玉石也。大秦多金、銀、銅、鐵、鈆、錫、神龜、白馬、朱髦、駭雞犀、瑇瑁、玄熊、赤螭、辟毒鼠、大貝、車渠、馬腦、南金、翠爵、羽翮、象牙、符采玉、明月珠、夜光珠、真白珠、虎魄、珊瑚、赤白黑綠黃青紺縹紅紫十種流離、璆琳、琅玕、水精、玫瑰、雄黃、雌黃、碧、五色玉、黃白黑綠紫紅絳紺金黃縹留黃十種氍毹、五色毾㲪、五色九色首下毾㲪、金縷繡、雜色綾、金塗布、緋持布、發陸布、緋持渠布、火浣布、阿羅得布、巴則布、度伐布、溫宿布、五色桃布、絳地金織帳、五色斗帳、一微木、二蘇合、狄提、迷迷、兜納、白附子、薰陸、鬱金、芸膠、薰草木十二種香。大秦道旣從海北陸通，又循海而南，與交阯七郡外夷比，又有水道通益州、永昌、故永昌出異物。前世但論有水道，不知有陸道，今其略如此，其民人戶數不能備詳也。自葱領西，此國最大，置諸小王甚多，故錄其屬大者矣。
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A most inteeresting video. Thanks for sharing. It seems they knew quite a bit!! As I stated before I am not surprised. There was so much trading going on.