Dr. Albert Dien, professor emeritus of Stanford University and expert on Medieval Chinese history, will present " The Origin Myth of the Xianbei: The Significance of the Gaxiandong Cave," at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, October 11 in Brown Hall Room 2028.  The lecture is open to the public free of charge.

Dr. Dien is co-editor of the "Cambridge History of China, vol. two: The Six Dynasties," a work in progress. He will focus his talk on the Gaxiandong Cave located in northeast China, an important archeological site that includes inscriptions dating back to 443 CE. The inscriptions have been attributed to the Xianbei, a nomadic people who conquered north China and established the Northern Wei dynasty in 386 CE.