CultureSouth Asia

Gandhara art

50 – 500

The Buddha takes human form, in Greek drapery

In depth

Before this the Buddha was indicated by symbols: a footprint, a tree, an empty seat. The human figure that arose here followed Buddhism along the Silk Road and became the Buddha one sees in China and Japan today. The Kushan empire that ruled the region was one of the world's four great powers of its day, but is nearly unknown in Western teaching.

For children

In today's Pakistan and Afghanistan, Greek sculpture met Buddhism. There the Buddha was first shown in human form — with wavy hair and deeply folded robes as on Greek statues.

Connects to

Hellenism and the Library of Alexandria324 BCE – 31 BCE
The Buddha and the Axial Age484 BCE
Buddhism reaches China67
The Silk Road opens131 BCE

Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org