The Legation of the Serendivi to the Roman Emperor Julian in the 4th Century CE

The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus tells us about a legation of the so-called Serendivi to the Roman Emperor Julian in the year 362 CE. It is still disputed among scholars whether these envoys came from present-day Sri Lanka. This study focuses on finding possible evidence for this assumption. For this purpose, a more detailed analysis of the circumstances in the East and West shortly before and shortly after the middle of the 4th century CE is carried out. What is certain is that the legates from the East that visited the Roman Empire in the 4th century CE witnessed an age of Upheaval. The outcome of which the cultures in the West and East were decisively shaped up to our time.