Chapter 6: The Silk Road Exchanges, Religions & Trans-Eurasian Synthesis

1. Trans-Eurasian Caravan Networks

The Silk Road was a dynamic network of trans-continental overland and maritime routes connecting Chang'an (China) through Central Asian oasis states (Kashgar, Khotan, Samarkand) to the Mediterranean world.

The Silk Road Matrix

2. The Kushan Empire & Kanishka

Under Emperor Kanishka I (c. 78 CE, initiator of the Shaka Era), the Kushan empire spanned from the Oxus in Bactria to Varanasi in the Gangetic plain:

Fourth Buddhist Council: Convened at Kundalavana in Kashmir under Vasumitra and Ashvaghosha; finalized the formal emergence of Mahayana Buddhism.
Syncretic Coinage: Gold and copper coins featuring Greek, Persian, Zoroastrian, and Hindu-Buddhist deities (Buddha inscribed as BODDO in Greek script).

Check Your Mastery

⚡ Concept Quick-CheckTest Your Conceptual Intuition

The Fourth Buddhist Council, which formalized the schism into Mahayana and Hinayana/Theravada traditions, was held under the patronage of which ruler?