Hunt for Roman legion reaches China
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But a 6,000-strong army led by Crassus' eldest son apparently escaped and was never found again.
Though some anthropologists are convinced the Caucasian-looking villagers in Yongchang county are the descendants of the soldiers, others are not so certain.
"The county is on the Silk Road, so there were many chances for trans-national marriages," said Yang Gongle, a professor at Beijing Normal University. "The 'foreign' origin of the Yongchang villagers, as proven by the DNA tests, does not necessarily mean they are of ancient Roman origin."
Xie Xiaodong, a geneticist from Lanzhou University, also sounded a skeptical note.
"Even if they are descendants of Romans, it doesn't mean they are necessarily from that Roman army," Xie said.
Their mysterious identity has brought wealth and fame to some of the villagers.
Cai Junnian has yellow wavy hair, a hooked nose and green eyes. A DNA test in 2005 confirmed he is of 56 percent European origin. It made him famous almost overnight.
Reporters, filmmakers, historians and geneticists from around the world pursued him. He was invited to meetings with the Italian consul in Shanghai and even appeared in a documentary shot by an Italian TV company last year.
His friends all call him Cai Luoma, which means Cai the Roman.
Cai's fellow villager Luo Ying looks even more European. He has been hired by a Shanghai firm as their "image ambassador".
A Beijing film producer will spend millions to turn the villagers' story into a film.
Lanzhou University's new research body, set up this week by Chinese and Italian anthropologists, is a platform for experts to further research the subject but "the research work will certainly be complicated", said Italian Ambassador to China Riccardo Sessa.
The center will also help Chinese learn Italian language and culture, he said. "More exchanges will certainly be helpful in unraveling the mystery."
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