The kushans played an important role in the trade along the silk roads. The first mention of the yuchi the tribal confederacy the kushans came to dominate is in the second century bc, under pressure from the nomadic hsiungnu they are pushed westwards into the greek kingdom of bactria, which they conquer before 129 bc. Expansion and decline of the kushan empire the kushan empire was an empire in south asia originally formed in the early 1st century ce in the territories of ancient bactria around the oxus river. The reason being that, this word is found in languages that have been separated for very long periods of time. Over the ruins of the empire, in central asia and the west, rose the sassanian empire of persia and in india. The history of the kushan empire presents many difficulties, given the paucity and heterogeneity of the grecoroman, syrian, indian, and chinese sources. Isbn 9789231028465 kushan art in the north in proportion and adorned with two or three rows of heavy acanthus leaves. From historical atlas of india, by charles joppen london. Kushan empire coins for sale buy kushan empire coins from. One of the successors of kanishka was vasudeva who is considered to be a shiva worshipper and the figures of shiva is found on his coins had. Sixty kilometers northwest of kabul, near todays city of charikar, at the junction of the ghorband and the panjshir valley, the summer capital of the kushan empire was built, known as kapisa later known as begram, not to be confused with bagram, site of the modern air base. Kushanas are considered to be one of the five branches of the yuezhi tribe who. Kushana origin kushana was a gotra subtribe of yuezhi guzar, also called tushar.
Previously a nomadic people living in eastern central asia, the yuezhi moved. As the kushans progressed further into northwestern india, kujula kadphises adopted the title great king, king of kings on coins patterned on those of saka and. Kushan control fragmented into semiindependent kingdoms as the sassanians attacked from the west and the guptas attacked from the east, collapsing the kushan empire around 375 ce. It is generally accepted that qiujiuque, the founder of the guishuang dynasty, is. The kushanas defeated the shakas and the pahlavasparthinians and went on to create a big empire in afganistan, pakistan and northern parts of india. Free research papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. History of india, indian history, kamasutra about the wives of other people chapter 1. The kushan people who moved into afghanistan in the 1st century ad were originally a nomadic group found in central asia around the ferghana valley in central asia then moved into afghanistan. Who are modern day descendant of yuezhi who had founded. This blog talks about the indian and the iranian deities on kushan coins. Koves, margit 2001, stein the hungarian scholar pdf, himalayan and central asian studies. Kushan empire simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gushur gujur gurjar gujjars gushur become gurjar the ruling class of the gushur kushan empire was called. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In addition, their placement in the history of india, another land where they wielded much power, is also in the context of a foreign. Ninety years may be a short period of time in the grand scale of all things historical but it isnt so for me. Sep 11, 2009 kushan empire in the early 2nd century bc, a tribe on the central asian frontier of china called hsiungnu defeated a neighboring one known as yuehchih. Sep 15, 2016 the kushan empire was a syncretic empire, formed by yuezhi, in the bactrian territories in the early 1st century.
Kharoshthi inscriptions with exception of those of asoka. The art of mathura both precedes and postdates kushan art over a total span of about 1,000 years, but the mathura workshops were most active and productive during the rule of the kushan emperors. Advisor of chandragupta who wrote ancient political handbook known as the arthashastra, a manual offering detailed instructions on the uses of power and the principles of government. Chapteriii kushana coins and inscriptions the greatest testimony of kushana power in india is in the form of abundant kushana coins and a large number of inscriptions which are retrieved from all quarters of their empire.
Most historians consider the empire to have variously extended as far east as the middle ganges plain, to varanasi on the confluence of the ganges and the jumna, or probably even pataliputra. As the kushan empire was situated in a crucial geographical region. Kushan heraios,tyrant of the kushan circa 5 bcad5 or later. Mar 04, 2016 as the kushans created a vast empire under kanishka i the iconographic imagery, as well as the deities on the kushan coins, became more and more indian.
The well executed kushan coins are also objects of art 1 p. There were, however, different types for which the term composite might be more apt. Under the rule of the kushans, northwest india and adjoining regions participated both in seagoing trade and in commerce along the silk road to china. The yuchi undergo a number of changes in the next century or so and come to be dominated by one tribe, the. Kushan art in the north 323 kushan art in bactria 343. We know, however, that the initial establishment of the kushan empire took place in bactria, were balkh was used, in continuation of the grecobactrian tradition, as a center for minting tetradrachms and other coins. The yuezhi conquered bactria in the 2nd century bce and divided the country into five chiefdoms, one of which was that of the kushans guishuang. The yuezhi conquered bactria in the 2nd century bce and divided the country into five chiefdoms, one of. Kushana empire and the silk route their capital was purushpura currently peswar in pakistan 3. From the kushans to the western turks 200 the kushan empire in east iran the. While coins float, travel and circulate even outside the political boundaries of an empire, reflecting its. Kushan territories full line an maximum extent o kushan dominions unner kanishka the great dottit line, accordin tae the rabatak inscription.
Media in category art of the kushan empire the following 92 files are in this category, out of 92 total. Therefore, the predecessor of the kushan dynasty is undoubtedly the xihou of. The kushan empire was a syncretic empire, formed by yuezhi, in the bactrian territories in the early 1st century. Michael wood tells the story of the forgotten empire of the kushans that ruled india in the first centuries ad. The kushan were a branch of the yuezhi confederation. According to some historians, the word gurjar is derived from the word gushur. If you want to buy a high quality research paper on history topics at affordable price please use custom research paper writing services. How prezi does project status updates with a distributed workplace.
Kusan, bactrian kosano of the 1st3rd centuries ce i. Given their central location between the mediterranean and china, the kushans linked europe and asia and helped connect parthia persia, rome. Grierson, numismatics, oxford university press, london, 1975, p. Culture and art of the kushan kingdom eas publisher. Speaking in general about the achievement of the kushans, the first is the economic prosperity. Kushan empire chakravarti major reference works wiley. The name kushan derives from the chinese term guishang, used in historical writings to describe one branch of the yuezhia loose confederation of indoeuropean people who had been living in northwestern china until they were driven west. Eventually, the kushan empire divided into two halfs, and one half was conquered by the sassanid empire of persia while the other was taken over by the guptas of india.
Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan chronology by hans loeschner professor michael fedorov provided a rejoinder1 with respect to several statements in the article2 a new oeshoshiva image of sasanian peroz taking power in the northern part of the kushan empire. Kushan empire in the early 2nd century bc, a tribe on the central asian frontier of china called hsiungnu defeated a neighboring one known as yuehchih. It asserts that more than hundred years after their division, the hsihou or yavuga of kueishuang, named chiuchiuchueh attacked and destroyed the other four yavugas and established himself as their wang or king and the kingdom was named kueishuang, i. Kushan art, art produced during the kushan dynasty from about the late 1st to the 3rd century ce in an area that now includes parts of central asia, northern india, pakistan, and afghanistan. Kushan fusion circa 120 timeline homeland afghanistan. The kushans spread from the kabul river valley to defeat other central asian tribes that had previously conquered parts of the northern central iranian. One of five branches of the yuezhi, who invaded bactria in 5 bce, and spread southeast to form the kushan empire around 30 ce. The kushan empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the yuezhi, in the bactrian territories in the early 1st century. That empire would make a profound decision, and that decision would revolutionize all of asia.
The kushan religious pantheon is extremely varied, as revealed by their coins and their seals, on which more than 30 different gods appear, belonging to the hellenistic, the iranian, and to a lesser extent the indian world. Deities on kushan coins part ii blog mintage world. Kushan dynasty, kushan also spelled kusana, ruling line descended from the yuezhi, a people that ruled over most of the northern indian subcontinent, afghanistan, and parts of central asia during the first three centuries of the common era. These notes will also be useful for other competitive exams like banking po, ssc, state civil services exams and so on. Greek deities, with greek names are represented on early coins. According to the rabatak bactrian inscription, the kushan realm at the time of kaniska extended to the cities of saketa, kausambi, pataliputra, and sri.
This includes but is not limited to afghanistan, kazakhstan, kyrgyzstan, mongolia, tajikistan, tibet, turkmenistan, uzbekistan, xinjiang and central asian portions of iran, pakistan and russia, regionspecific topics, and anything else related to central asia. One of the successors of kanishka was vasudeva who is considered to be a shiva worshipper and the figures of shiva is found on his coins had assumed the title shaono shao vasudeo kushano. As the kushans created a vast empire under kanishka i the iconographic imagery, as well as the deities on the kushan coins, became more and more indian. Some scholars connect the kushans with the tocharians of the tarim basin in china, caucasian people whose blonde or redhaired mummies have long puzzled observers. The coins of the kushanas were produced by diestriking. Shapur is inscription on the kacbe of zoroaster at naqshi rustam claims to have incorporated the kingdom of the kushans up to peshawar in the sasanian empire. Kushan empire is part of wikiproject central asia, a project to improve all central asiarelated articles.
Abstract the kushans, originating out of the central asian nomadic yuezhi group, established a mighty empire during the early centuries ce. Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan chronology. Ncert notes on important topics for the ias aspirants. Jan 09, 2012 the kings of the kushana empire had assumed eloquent titles such as maharaj, rajatiraj king of kings etc. The kushan empire reached its greatest extent during the reign of kaniska, whose legacy as a powerful emperor is preserved in inscriptions, textual traditions, archaeological remains, and coins. Especially kanishka, huvishka and vasudeva second and third centuries a. Kushan empire coins for sale buy kushan empire coins. Expansion and decline of the kushan empire directions. The kushanas had originally belonged to the regions of western china. Kushan kingdom, buddhism, empire, sources, period, century, chronicle. Reign of kujula kadphises, founder of the kushan empire.
The kushan empire survived for about 90 years after kanishkas death. It was in eastern and northern afghanistan and the northwest of india. Map showing the kushan empire with capital cities and current country boundaries. During the first to midthird centuries ce, the empire of the kushans mid. Haluk berkmen in chapter 27, from kurgans to pyramids the kushite empire was mentioned and its name meaning bird in turkish was questioned. The eastwest trade routes between greece and china began to open during the first and second centuries b. It was in eastern and northern afghanistan and the northwest of india the kushan were a branch of the yuezhi confederation. Termez, as well as the area of ai khanoum were also heavily settled and urbanized, with fortresses and urban constructions. A brief overview the kushan or kushano of the epigraphical and numismatic sources of india and central asia, and kueishauang of the chinese sources1 2 was the name of a tribe which together with other tribes formed a tribal confederacy of rather mixed origin. Under kanishkas rule, kushan controlled a large territory ranging from the aral sea through areas that include presentday uzbekistan, afghanistan, and pakistan into northern india as far east as benares and as far south as sanchi. Oct 10, 2015 the art of mathura both precedes and postdates kushan art over a total span of about 1,000 years, but the mathura workshops were most active and productive during the rule of the kushan emperors. Role of kushana empire in buddhism and hinduism by adesh katariya plast. However interpreted, the sasanian conquest of the western kushan provinces is a further.
The kushanas defeated the shakas and the pahlavasparthinians and went on to create a big empire in. Pdf from the kushans to the western turks khodadad. Kushan empire bactrian greek 30375 a map of india in the 2nd century ce showing the extent of the kushan empire during the reign of kanishka. The kushans spread from the kabul river valley to defeat other central asian tribes that had previously. After more conflict, the survivors of the yuehchih were dislocated west, passing down the ili river valley and along the southern shore of lake issyk kul.
The kushan empire began in the early 1st century as a branch of the yuezhi, a confederation of ethnically indoeuropeans nomads who lived in eastern central asia. The kings of the kushana empire had assumed eloquent titles such as maharaj, rajatiraj king of kings etc. The foundation of the kushan empire in bactria and india was the result of a long series of ethnic migrations. Kusansahr represented a major world power in central asia and northern india. It spread tae encompass much o afghanistan, an then the northren pairts o the indian. Propecia cost per pill fda approved pharmacy canada. Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan. The kushans fostered a mixed culture that is best illustrated by the variety of deitiesgrecoroman.