Kushan Empire - Wikipedia Kushan Empire Not to be confused with Kingdom of Kush. `` Kushan '' redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Kushan, Iran. For the fictional video game race, see Homeworld. Kushan Empire Κυϸανο ( Bactrian ) कुषाण साम्राज्य ( Sanskrit ) Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν ( Greek ) Nomadic empire 30 -- 375 Kushan territories ( full line ) and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka the Great ( dotted line ), according to the Rabatak inscription. Capital Bagram ( Kapiśi ) Peshawar ( Puruṣapura ) Taxila ( Takṣaśilā ) Mathura ( Mathurā ) Languages Greek ( official until ca. 127 ) Bactrian ( official from ca. 127 ) Unofficial regional languages : Gurjari - Gandhari, Sogdian, Chorasmian, Tocharian, Saka dialects, Prakrit Liturgical language : Sanskrit Religion Hinduism Buddhism Bactrian religion Zoroastrianism Government Monarchy Emperor 30 -- 80 Kujula Kadphises 350 -- 375 Kipunada Historical era Classical Antiquity Kujula Kadphises unites Yuezhi tribes into a confederation 30 Subjugated by the Sasanians, Guptas and Hepthalites 375 Area 3,800,000 km ( 1,500,000 sq mi ) Currency Kushan drachma Preceded by Succeeded by Indo - Parthian Kingdom Indo - Scythians Sasanian Empire Gupta Empire Hephthalite Empire Khasa kingdom Today part of Afghanistan China Kyrgyzstan India Nepal Pakistan Tajikistan Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Part of a series on the History of India Ancient Madrasian Culture Soanian, c. 500,000 BCE Neolithic, c. 7600 -- c. 3300 BCE Bhirrana 7570 - 6200 BCE Jhusi 7106 BCE Lahuradewa 7000 BCE Mehrgarh 7000 - 2600 BCE Indus Valley Civilization, c. 3300 -- c. 1700 BCE Post Indus Valley Period, c. 1700 -- c. 1500 BCE Vedic Civilization, c. 1500 -- c. 500 BCE Early Vedic Period Rise of Śramaṇa movement Later Vedic Period Spread of Jainism - Parshvanatha Spread of Jainism - Mahavira Rise of Buddhism Mahajanapadas, c. 500 -- c. 345 BCE Nanda Dynasty, c. 345 -- c. 322 BCE Classical Maurya Dynasty, c. 322 -- c. 185 BCE Shunga Dynasty, c. 185 -- c. 75 BCE Kanva Dynasty, c. 75 -- c. 30 BCE Kushan Dynasty, c. 30 -- c. 230 CE Satavahana Dynasty, c. 30 BCE -- c. 220 CE Gupta Dynasty, c. 200 -- c. 550 CE Early medieval Chalukya Dynasty, c. 543 -- c. 753 CE Harsha 's Dynasty, c. 606 CE -- c. 647 CE Karakota Dynasty, c. 724 -- c. 760 CE Arab Invasion, c. 738 CE Tripartite Struggle, c. 760 -- c. 973 CE Gurjara - Pratihara Dynasty Rastrakuta Dynasty Pala Dynasty Chola Dynasty, c. 848 -- c. 1251 CE 2nd Chalukya Dynasty, c. 973 -- c. 1187 CE Late medieval Delhi Sultanate, c. 1206 -- c. 1526 CE Slave Dynasty Khalji Dynasty Tugluq Dynasty Sayyid Dynasty Lodhi Dynasty Pandyan Dynasty, c. 1251 -- c. 1323 CE Vijayanagara, c. 1336 -- c. 1646 CE Bengal Sultanate, c. 1342 -- c. 1576 CE Early modern Mughal Dynasty, c. 1526 -- c. 1540 CE Suri Dynasty, c. 1540 -- c. 1556 CE Mughal Dynasty, c. 1556 -- c. 1857 CE Bengal Subah, c. 1576 -- c. 1757 CE Maratha Empire, c. 1674 -- c. 1818 CE Company Raj, c. 1757 -- c. 1858 CE Kingdom of Mysore, c. 1760 -- c. 1799 CE Sikh Empire, c. 1799 -- c. 1849 CE Modern The Great Rebellion, c. 1857 -- c. 1858 CE British Raj, c. 1858 -- c. 1947 CE Independence Movement Independent India, c. 1947 CE -- present Related articles Timeline of Indian History Dynasties in Indian History Economic History Demographic History Linguistic History Architectural History Art History Literary History Philosophical History History of Religion Musical History Education History Coinage History Science and Technology History List of Inventions and Discoveries Military History Naval History Wars involving India Part of a series on the History of Afghanistan Timeline Ancient Indus Valley Civilisation 2200 -- 1800 BC Oxus civilization 2100 -- 1800 BC Aryans 1700 -- 700 BC Median Empire 728 -- 550 BC Achaemenid Empire 550 -- 330 BC Seleucid Empire 330 -- 150 BC Maurya Empire 305 -- 180 BC Greco - Bactrian Kingdom 256 -- 125 BC Parthian Empire 247 BC -- 224 AD Indo - Greek Kingdom 180 -- 130 BC Indo - Scythian Kingdom 155 -- 80 ? BC Kushan Empire 135 BC -- 248 AD Indo - Parthian Kingdom 20 BC -- 50 ? 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BC Kushan Empire 135 BC -- 248 AD Indo - Parthian Kingdom 20 BC -- 50 ? AD Sasanian Empire 230 -- 651 Kidarite Kingdom 320 -- 465 Alchon Huns 380 -- 560 Hephthalite Empire 410 -- 557 Nezak Huns 484 -- 711 Medieval Kabul Shahi 565 -- 879 Principality of Chaghaniyan 7th -- 8th centuries Rashidun Caliphate 652 -- 661 Umayyads 661 -- 750 Abbasids 750 -- 821 Tahirids 821 -- 873 Saffarids 863 -- 900 Samanids 875 -- 999 Ghaznavids 963 -- 1187 Ghurids before 879 -- 1215 Seljuks 1037 -- 1194 Khwarezmids 1215 -- 1231 Qarlughids 1224 -- 1266 Ilkhanate 1258 -- 1353 Chagatai Khanate 1225 -- 1370 Khaljis 1290 -- 1320 Karts 1245 -- 1381 Timurids 1370 -- 1507 Arghuns 1479 -- 1522 Modern Mughals 1501 -- 1738 Safavids 1510 -- 1709 Hotak dynasty 1709 -- 1738 Afsharid dynasty 1738 -- 1747 Durrani Empire 1747 -- 1826 Emirate of Afghanistan 1826 -- 1919 Kingdom of Afghanistan 1919 -- 1973 Republic of Afghanistan 1973 -- 1978 Democratic Republic of Afghanistan 1978 -- 1992 Islamic State of Afghanistan 1992 -- 2001 Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan 1996 -- 2004 Interim / Transitional Administration 2001 -- 2004 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan since 2004 Book Category Portal Part of a series on the History of Tajikistan Early history Medieval history Early modern history Russian vassalage Soviet rule Since independence Timeline Tajikistan portal The Kushan Empire ( Ancient Greek : Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν ; Bactrian : Κυϸανο, Kushano ; Sanskrit : कुषाण साम्राज्य Kuṣāṇa Samrajya ; BHS : Guṣāṇa - vaṃśa ; Chinese : 貴 霜 帝國 ; Parthian : Kušan - xšaθr ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of Afghanistan, present - day Pakistan and then the northern parts of India at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi ( Benares ), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great. Kanishka was a great patron of Buddhism ; however, as Kushans expanded southward toward the Indian subcontinent the deities of their later coinage came to reflect its new Hindu majority. The Kushans were one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation, a possibly Iranic or Tocharian, Indo - European nomadic people who migrated from Gansu and settled in ancient Bactria. The Kushans possibly used the Greek language initially for administrative purposes, but soon began to use Bactrian language. Kanishka sent his armies north of the Karakoram mountains, capturing territories as far as Kashgar, Khotan and Yarkant, in the Tarim Basin of modern - day Xinjiang, China. A direct road from Gandhara to China remained under Kushan control for more than a century, encouraging travel across the Karakoram and facilitating the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China. The Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sasanian Persia, the Aksumite Empire and Han Dynasty of China. While much philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record of the empire 's history today comes from inscriptions and accounts in other languages, particularly Chinese. The Kushan empire fragmented into semi-independent kingdoms in the 3rd century AD, which fell to the Sasanians invading from the west, establishing the Kushano - Sasanian Kingdom in the areas of Sogdiana, Bactria and Gandhara. In the 4th century, the Guptas, an Indian dynasty also pressed from the east. The last of the Kushan and Kushano - Sasanian kingdoms were eventually overwhelmed by invaders from the north, known as the Kidarites, and then the Hepthalites. Contents 1 Origins 2 Early Kushans 3 Diverse cultural influences 4 Territorial expansion 5 Main Kushan rulers 5.1 Kujula Kadphises ( c. 30 -- c. 80 ) 5.2 Vima Taktu or Sadashkana ( c. 80 -- c. 95 ) 5.3 Vima Kadphises ( c. 95 -- c. 127 ) 5.4 Kanishka I ( c. 127 -- c. 140 ) 5.5 Vāsishka ( c. 140 -- c. 160 ) 5.6 Huvishka ( c. 160 -- c. 190 ) 5.7 Vasudeva I ( c. 190 -- c. 230 ) 6 Kushan deities 7 Kushans and Buddhism 7.1 Kushan art 8 Contacts with Rome 9 Contacts with China 10 Decline 11 Rulers 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 15 Further reading 16 External links Origins Chinese sources describe the Guishuang ( 貴 霜 ), i.e. the Kushans, as one of the five aristocratic tribes of the Yuezhi, with some people claiming they were a loose confederation of Indo - European peoples, though many scholars are still unconvinced that they originally spoke an Indo - European language. As the historian John E. Hill has put it : `` For well over a century... there have been many arguments about the ethnic and linguistic origins of the Great Yuezhi or Da Yuezhi ( 大 月 氏 ), Kushans ( 貴 霜 ), and the Tochari, and still there is little consensus ''. The Yuezhi were described in the Records of the Great Historian 史記 and the Book of Han 漢書 as living in the grasslands of Gansu, in the northwest of modern - day China, until their King was beheaded by the Huns from Siberia ( the Xiongnu 匈奴 ) who were also at war with China, which eventually forced them to migrate west in 176 -- 160 BCE. The five tribes constituting the Yuezhi are known in Chinese history as Xiūmì ( 休 密 ), Guìshuāng ( 貴 霜 ), Shuāngmǐ ( 雙 靡 ), Xìdùn ( 肸 頓 ), and Dūmì ( 都 密 ). The Yuezhi reached the Hellenic kingdom of Greco - Bactria ( in northern Afghanistan and Uzbekistan ) around 135 BC. The displaced Greek dynasties resettled to the southeast in areas of the Hindu Kush and the Indus basin ( in present - day Afghanistan and Pakistan ), occupying the western part of the Indo - Greek Kingdom. Early Kushans Head of a Kushan prince ( Khalchayan palace, Uzbekistan ). Some traces remain of the presence of the Kushans in the area of Bactria and Sogdiana. Archaeological structures are known in Takht - I - Sangin, Surkh Kotal ( a monumental temple ), and in the palace of Khalchayan. Various sculptures and friezes are known, representing horse - riding archers, and, significantly, men with artificially deformed skulls, such as the Kushan prince of Khalchayan ( a practice well attested in nomadic Central Asia ). The Chinese first referred to these people as the Yuezhi and said they established the Kushan Empire, although the relationship between the Yuezhi and the Kushans is still unclear. On the ruins of ancient Hellenistic cities such as Ai - Khanoum, the Kushans are known to have built fortresses. The first known Kushan king Heraios ( 1 - 30 CE ). The earliest documented ruler, and the first one to proclaim himself as a Kushan ruler, was Heraios. He calls himself a `` tyrant '' in Greek on his coins, and also exhibits skull deformation. He may have been an ally of the Greeks, and he shared the same style of coinage. Heraios may have been the father of the first Kushan emperor Kujula Kadphises. Ban Gu 's Book of Han tells us the Kushans ( Kuei - shuang ) divided up Bactria in 128 BC. Fan Ye 's Book of the Later Han `` relates how the chief of the Kushans, Ch'iu - shiu - ch'ueh ( the Kujula Kadphises of coins ), founded by means of the submission of the other Yueh - chih clans the Kushan Empire, known to the Greeks and Romans under the name of Empire of the Indo - Scythians. '' The Chinese Hou Hanshu 後 漢書 chronicles gives an account of the formation of the Kushan empire based on a report made by the Chinese general Ban Yong to the Chinese Emperor c. 125 AD : More than a hundred years later ( than the conquest of Bactria by the Da Yuezhi ), the prince ( xihou ) of Guishuang ( Badakhshan ) established himself as king, and his dynasty was called that of the Guishuang ( Kushan ) King. He invaded Anxi ( Indo - Parthia ), and took the Gaofu ( Kabul ) region. He also defeated the whole of the kingdoms of Puda ( Paktiya ) and Jibin ( Kapisha and Gandhara ). Qiujiuque ( Kujula Kadphises ) was more than eighty years old when he died. His son, Yangaozhen ( probably Vema Tahk ( tu ) or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa ), became king in his place. He defeated Tianzhu ( North - western India ) and installed Generals to supervise and lead it. The Yuezhi then became extremely rich. All the kingdoms call ( their king ) the Guishuang ( Kushan ) king, but the Han call them by their original name, Da Yuezhi. -- Hou Hanshu Diverse cultural influences Greek alphabet ( narrow columns ) with Kushan script ( wide columns ). A Buddhist devotee in Kushan dress, Mathura, 2nd century. The Kushan dress is generally depicted as quite stiff, and it is thought it was often made of leather ( Francine Tissot, `` Gandhara '' ). In the 1st century BCE, the Guishuang ( Ch : 貴 霜 ) gained prominence over the other Yuezhi tribes, and welded them into a tight confederation under yabgu ( Commander ) Kujula Kadphises. The name Guishuang was adopted in the West and modified into Kushan to designate the confederation, although the Chinese continued to call them Yuezhi. Gradually wresting control of the area from the Scythian tribes, the Kushans expanded south into the region traditionally known as Gandhara ( an area primarily in Pakistan 's Pothowar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region but going in an arc to include the Kabul valley and part of Qandahar in Afghanistan ) and established twin capitals in Begram and Peshawar, then known as Kapisa and Pushklavati respectively. The Kushan writing system used the Greek alphabet, with the addition of the letter Sho ( associated with the Greek Sampi ). The Kushans adopted elements of the Hellenistic culture of Bactria. They adopted the Greek alphabet to suit their own language ( with the additional development of the letter Þ `` sh '', as in `` Kushan '' ) and soon began minting coinage on the Greek model. On their coins they used Greek language legends combined with Pali legends ( in the Kharoshthi script ), until the first few years of the reign of Kanishka. After that date, they used Kushan language legends ( in an adapted Greek script ), combined with legends in Greek ( Greek script ) and legends in Prakrit ( Kharoshthi script ). The Kushans `` adopted many local beliefs and customs, including Zoroastrianism and the two rising religions in the region, the Greek cults and Buddhism ''. From the time of Vima Takto, many Kushans started adopting aspects of Buddhist culture, and like the Egyptians, they absorbed the strong remnants of the Greek culture of the Hellenistic Kingdoms, becoming at least partly Hellenised. The great Kushan emperor Vima Kadphises may have embraced Saivism ( a sect of Hinduism ), as surmised by coins minted during the period. The following Kushan emperors represented a wide variety of faiths including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and possibly Saivism. The rule of the Kushans linked the seagoing trade of the Indian Ocean with the commerce of the Silk Road through the long - civilized Indus Valley. At the height of the dynasty, the Kushans loosely ruled a territory that extended to the Aral Sea through present - day Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan into northern India. The loose unity and comparative peace of such a vast expanse encouraged long - distance trade, brought Chinese silks to Rome, and created strings of flourishing urban centers. Territorial expansion Kushan king or prince, Greco - Buddhist art of Gandhara, 2nd - 3rd century CE. Rosenfield notes that archaeological evidence of a Kushan rule of long duration is present in an area stretching from Surkh Kotal, Begram, the summer capital of the Kushans, Peshawar, the capital under Kanishka I, Taxila, and Mathura, the winter capital of the Kushans. Other areas of probable rule include Khwarezm, Kausambi ( excavations of Allahabad University ), Sanchi and Sarnath ( inscriptions with names and dates of Kushan kings ), Malwa and Maharashtra, and Odisha ( imitation of Kushan coins, and large Kushan hoards ). Remains of a Kushan fortress in Sirsukh, Pakistan. Kushan invasions in the 1st century CE had been given as an explanation for the migration of Indians from the Indian Subcontinent toward Southeast Asia according to proponents of a Greater India theory by 20th - century Indian nationalists. However, there is no evidence to support this hypothesis. The recently discovered Rabatak inscription confirms the account of the Hou Hanshu, Weilüe, and inscriptions dated early in the Kanishka era ( incept probably 127 CE ), that large Kushan dominions expanded into the heartland of northern India in the early 2nd century CE. Lines 4 to 7 of the inscription describe the cities which were under the rule of Kanishka, among which six names are identifiable : Ujjain, Kundina, Saketa, Kausambi, Pataliputra, and Champa ( although the text is not clear whether Champa was a possession of Kanishka or just beyond it ). The Kushan state was bounded to the south by the Pārata state of Balochistan, western Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan was known for the kushan Buddhist city of Merv. As late as the 3rd century AD, decorated coins of Huvishka were dedicated at Bodh Gaya together with other gold offerings under the `` Enlightenment Throne '' of the Buddha, suggesting direct Kushan influence in the area during that period. Northward, in the 2nd century AD, the Kushans under Kanishka made various forays into the Tarim Basin, where they had various contacts with the Chinese. Both archaeological findings and literary evidence suggest Kushan rule, in Kashgar, Yarkand and Khotan. Main Kushan rulers Offerings found in Bodh Gaya under the `` Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha '', with an impression of an imitation of a coin of the Kushan emperor Huvishka, 2nd century CE. British Museum. Kujula Kadphises ( c. 30 -- c. 80 ) ( edit )... the prince ( elavoor ) of Guishuang, named thilac ( Kujula Kadphises ), attacked and exterminated the four other xihou. He established himself as king, and his dynasty was called that of the Guishuang ( Kushan ) King. He invaded Anxi ( Indo - Parthia ) and took the Gaofu ( Kabul ) region. He also defeated the whole of the kingdoms of Puda ( Paktiya ) and Jibin ( Kapisha and Gandhara ). Qiujiuque ( Kujula Kadphises ) was more than eighty years old when he died. '' -- Hou Hanshu These conquests probably took place sometime between 45 and 60 and laid the basis for the Kushan Empire which was rapidly expanded by his descendants. Kujula issued an extensive series of coins and fathered at least two sons, Sadaṣkaṇa ( who is known from only two inscriptions, especially the Rabatak inscription, and apparently never ruled ), and seemingly Vima Takto. Kujula Kadphises was the great - grandfather of Kanishka. Vima Taktu or Sadashkana ( c. 80 -- c. 95 ) Vima Takto ( Ancient Chinese : 閻 膏 珍 Yangaozhen ) is mentioned in the Rabatak inscription ( another son, Sadashkana, is mentioned in an inscription of Senavarman, the King of Odi ). He was the predecessor of Vima Kadphises, and Kanishka I. He expanded the Kushan Empire into the northwest of South Asia. The Hou Hanshu says : `` His son, Yangaozhen ( probably Vema Tahk ( tu ) or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa ), became king in his place. He defeated Tianzhu ( North - western India ) and installed Generals to supervise and lead it. The Yuezhi then became extremely rich. All the kingdoms call ( their king ) the Guishuang ( Kushan ) king, but the Han call them by their original name, Da Yuezhi. '' -- Hou Hanshu Vima Kadphises ( c. 95 -- c. 127 ) Vima Kadphises ( Kushan language : Οοημο Καδφισης ) was a Kushan emperor from around 90 -- 100 CE, the son of Sadashkana and the grandson of Kujula Kadphises, and the father of Kanishka I, as detailed by the Rabatak inscription. Vima Kadphises added to the Kushan territory by his conquests in Afghanistan and north - west Pakistan. He issued an extensive series of coins and inscriptions. He issued gold coins in addition to the existing copper and silver coinage. Kanishka I ( c. 127 -- c. 140 ) Main article : Kanishka Kanishka, Mathura art, Mathura Museum. The rule of Kanishka the Great, fifth Kushan king, lasted for about 13 years from c. 127. Upon his accession, Kanishka ruled a huge territory ( virtually all of northern India ), south to Ujjain and Kundina and east beyond Pataliputra, according to the Rabatak inscription : The Qila Mubarak fort at Bathinda, India was built by Kanishka the Great. In the year one, it has been proclaimed unto India, unto the whole realm of the governing class, including Koonadeano ( Kaundiny, Kundina ) and the city of Ozeno ( Ozene, Ujjain ) and the city of Zageda ( Saketa ) and the city of Kozambo ( Kausambi ) and the city of Palabotro ( Pataliputra ) and so long unto ( i.e., as far as ) the city of Ziri - tambo ( Sri - Champa ). -- Rabatak inscription, Lines 4 -- 6 His territory was administered from two capitals : Purushapura ( now Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan ) and Mathura, in northern India. He is also credited ( along with Raja Dab ) for building the massive, ancient Fort at Bathinda ( Qila Mubarak ), in the modern city of Bathinda, Indian Punjab. The Kushans also had a summer capital in Bagram ( then known as Kapisa ), where the `` Begram Treasure '', comprising works of art from Greece to China, has been found. According to the Rabatak inscription, Kanishka was the son of Vima Kadphises, the grandson of Sadashkana, and the great - grandson of Kujula Kadphises. Kanishka 's era is now generally accepted to have begun in 127 on the basis of Harry Falk 's ground - breaking research. Kanishka 's era was used as a calendar reference by the Kushans for about a century, until the decline of the Kushan realm. Vasishka ( c. 140 -- c. 160 ) Vāsishka was a Kushan emperor who seems to have had a 20 - year reign following Kanishka. His rule is recorded as far south as Sanchi ( near Vidisa ), where several inscriptions in his name have been found, dated to the year 22 ( the Sanchi inscription of `` Vaksushana '' -- i.e., Vasishka Kushana ) and year 28 ( the Sanchi inscription of Vasaska -- i.e., Vasishka ) of the Kanishka era. Huvishka ( c. 160 -- c. 190 ) Huvishka ( Kushan : Οοηϸκι, `` Ooishki '' ) was a Kushan emperor from about 20 years after the death of Kanishka ( assumed on the best evidence available to be in 140 ) until the succession of Vasudeva I about thirty years later. His rule was a period of retrenchment and consolidation for the Empire. In particular he devoted time and effort early in his reign to the exertion of greater control over the city of Mathura. Vasudeva I ( c. 190 -- c. 230 ) Vasudeva I ( Kushan : Βαζοδηο `` Bazodeo '', Chinese : 波 調 `` Bodiao '' ) was the last of the `` Great Kushans. '' Named inscriptions dating from year 64 to 98 of Kanishka 's era suggest his reign extended from at least 191 to 225 AD. He was the last great Kushan emperor, and the end of his rule coincides with the invasion of the Sasanians as far as northwestern India, and the establishment of the Indo - Sasanians or Kushanshahs in what is nowadays Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India from around 240 AD. Kushan deities Kumara / Kartikeya with a Kushan devotee, 2nd century CE. Kushan prince making a donation to a Boddhisattva. The Kushan religious pantheon is extremely varied, as revealed by their coins that were made in gold, silver, and copper. These coins contained more than thirty different gods, belonging mainly to their own Iranic, Greek, and Indo - Aryan worlds as well. Kushan coins had images of Kushan Kings, Buddha, and figures from the Indo - Aryan and Iranian pantheons. Greek deities, with Greek names are represented on early coins. During Kanishka 's reign, the language of the coinage changes to Bactrian ( though it remained in Greek script for all kings ). After Huvishka, only two divinities appear on the coins : Ardoxsho and Oesho ( see details below ). The Iranic entities depicted on coinage include : Αρδοχþο ( ardoxsho, Ashi Vanghuhi ) Aþαειχþo ( ashaeixsho, Asha Vahishta ) Αθþο ( athsho, Atar ) Φαρρο ( pharro, Khwarenah ) Λροοασπο ( lrooaspa, Drvaspa ) Μαναοβαγο, ( manaobago, Vohu Manah ) Μαο ( mao, Mah ) Μιθρο, Μιιρο, Μιορο, Μιυρο ( mithro and variants, Mithra ) Μοζδοοανο ( mozdooano, Mazda * vana `` Mazda the victorious ? '' ) Νανα, Ναναια, Ναναϸαο ( variations of pan-Asiatic nana, Sogdian nny, Nana ) Οαδο ( oado Vata ) Oαxþo ( oaxsho, `` Oxus '' ) Ooρoμoζδο ( ooromozdo, Ahura Mazda ) Οραλαγνο ( orlagno, Verethragna ) Τιερο ( tiero, Tir ) Representation of entities from Greek mythology and Hellenistic syncretism are : Ηλιος ( Helios ), Ηφαηστος ( Hephaistos ), Σαληνη ( Selene ), Ανημος ( Anemos ). Further, the coins of Huvishka also portray the demi - god erakilo Heracles, and the Egyptian god sarapo Sarapis The Indic entities represented on coinage include : Βοδδο ( boddo, Buddha ) Μετραγο Βοδδο ( metrago boddo, bodhisattava Maitreya ) Mαασηνo ( maaseno, Mahasena ) Σκανδo koμαρo ( skando komaro, Skanda Kumara ) þακαμανο Βοδδο ( shakamano boddho, Shakyamuni Buddha ) Οηϸο ( oesho ), long considered to represent Indic Shiva, but also identified as Avestan Vayu conflated with Shiva. Two copper coins of Huvishka bear a ' Ganesa ' legend, but instead of depicting the typical theriomorphic figure of Ganesha, have a figure of an archer holding a full - length bow with string inwards and an arrow. This is typically a depiction of Rudra, but in the case of these two coins is generally assumed to represent Shiva. Images of Kushan worshippers Kushan worshipper with Zeus / Serapis / Ohrmazd, Bactria, 3rd century CE. Kushan worshipper with Pharro, Bactria, 3rd century AD. Kushan worshipper with Shiva / Oesho, Bactria, 3rd century CE. Deities on Kushan coinage Mahasena on a coin of Huvishka Four - faced Oesho Rishti Manaobago Pharro Ardochsho Oesho or Shiva Oesho or Shiva with bull Skanda and Visakha Gold coin of Kanishka the Great, with a depiction of the Buddha, with the legend `` Boddo '' in Greek script ; Ahin Posh Herakles. Kushan Carnelian seal representing the `` ΑΔϷΟ '' ( adsho Atar ), with triratana symbol left, and Kanishka the Great 's dynastic mark right Buddha Kushan coins showing half - length bust of Vima Kadphises in various poses, holding mace - scepter or laurel branch in right hand ; flames at shoulder, tamgha to right or left. On the other side of coin is a deity with a bull. Some consider the deity as Shiva because he is in ithyphallic state, holds a trident, and the Nandi bull is his mount, as in Hindu mythology. Others suggest him as Oesho, Zoroastrian Vayu. Kushans and Buddhism Kanishka the Great inaugurates Mahayana Buddhism. Illustration from 1910 Early Mahayana Buddhist triad. From left to right, a Kushan devotee, Maitreya, the Buddha, Avalokitesvara, and a Buddhist monk. 2nd -- 3rd century, Gandhara The Kushans inherited the Greco - Buddhist traditions of the Indo - Greek Kingdom they replaced, and their patronage of Buddhist institutions allowed them to grow as a commercial power. Between the mid-1st century and the mid-3rd century, Buddhism, patronized by the Kushans, extended to China and other Asian countries through the Silk Road. Kanishka is renowned in Buddhist tradition for having convened a great Buddhist council in Kashmir. Along with his predecessors in the region, the Indo - Greek king Menander I ( Milinda ) and the Indian emperors Ashoka and Harsha Vardhana, Kanishka is considered by Buddhism as one of its greatest benefactors. During the 1st century AD, Buddhist books were being produced and carried by monks, and their trader patrons. Also, monasteries were being established along these land routes that went from China and other parts of Asia. With the development of Buddhist books, it caused a new written language called Gandhara. Gandhara consists of eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Scholars are said to have found many Buddhist scrolls that contained the Gandhari language. The reign of Huvishka corresponds to the first known epigraphic evidence of the Buddha Amitabha, on the bottom part of a 2nd - century statue which has been found in Govindo - Nagar, and now at the Mathura Museum. The statue is dated to `` the 28th year of the reign of Huvishka '', and dedicated to `` Amitabha Buddha '' by a family of merchants. There is also some evidence that Huvishka himself was a follower of Mahāyāna Buddhism. A Sanskrit manuscript fragment in the Schøyen Collection describes Huvishka as one who has `` set forth in the Mahāyāna. '' Kushan Art Standing Female, 1st century CE Terracotta. This lively female figure comes from an area of Pakistan where merchants from around the Mediterranean had long maintained trading posts. The area, known in antiquity as Gandhara, developed an unusual hybrid style of art and culture that was at once Hellenic and Indic. Brooklyn Museum The art and culture of Gandhara, at the crossroads of the Kushan hegemony, continued the traditions of Greco - Buddhist art and are the best known expressions of Kushan influences to Westerners. Several direct depictions of Kushans are known from Gandhara, where they are represented with a tunic, belt and trousers and play the role of devotees to the Buddha, as well as the Bodhisattva and future Buddha Maitreya. During the Kushan Empire, many images of Gandhara share a strong resemblance to the features of Greek, Syrian, Persian and Indian figures. These Western - looking stylistic signatures often include heavy drapery and curly hair, representing a composite ( the Greeks, for example, often possessed curly hair ). In the iconography, they are never associated however with the very Hellenistic `` Standing Buddha '' statues, which might therefore correspond to an earlier historical period. Contacts with Rome Main article : Roman trade with India Greco - Roman gladiator on a glass vessel, Begram, 2nd century Several Roman sources describe the visit of ambassadors from the Kings of Bactria and India during the 2nd century, probably referring to the Kushans. Coin of the Roman Emperor Trajan, found together with coins of Kanishka the Great at the Ahin Posh Monastery Historia Augusta, speaking of Emperor Hadrian ( 117 -- 138 ) tells : Reges Bactrianorum legatos ad eum, amicitiae petendae causa, supplices miserunt `` The kings of the Bactrians sent supplicant ambassadors to him, to seek his friendship. '' Also in 138, according to Aurelius Victor ( Epitome ‚ XV, 4 ), and Appian ( Praef., 7 ), Antoninus Pius, successor to Hadrian, received some Indian, Bactrian, and Hyrcanian ambassadors. `` Precious things from Da Qin ( the Roman Empire ) can be found there ( in Tianzhu or Northwestern India ), as well as fine cotton cloths, fine wool carpets, perfumes of all sorts, sugar candy, pepper, ginger, and black salt. '' -- Hou Hanshu The summer capital of the Kushan Empire in Begram has yielded a considerable amount of goods imported from the Roman Empire -- in particular, various types of glassware. Contacts with China Map showing the Eurasia in 2nd Century AD, Kushan shared a border with the Chinese empire of Han. A bronze coin of Kanishka the Great found in Khotan, Tarim Basin During the 1st and 2nd century, the Kushan Empire expanded militarily to the north and occupied parts of the Tarim Basin, their original grounds, putting them at the center of the profitable Central Asian commerce with the Roman Empire. They are related to have collaborated militarily with the Chinese against nomadic incursion, particularly when they collaborated with the Han Dynasty general Ban Chao against the Sogdians in 84, when the latter were trying to support a revolt by the king of Kashgar. Around 85, they also assisted the Chinese general in an attack on Turpan, east of the Tarim Basin. The Kushan Buddhist monk Lokaksema, first known translator of Buddhist Mahayana scriptures into Chinese, c. 170. In recognition for their support to the Chinese, the Kushans requested a Han princess, but were denied, even after they had sent presents to the Chinese court. In retaliation, they marched on Ban Chao in 86 with a force of 70,000, but were defeated by a smaller Chinese force. The Yuezhi retreated and paid tribute to the Chinese Empire during the reign of emperor He of Han ( 89 -- 106 ). Later, around 116, the Kushans under Kanishka established a kingdom centered on Kashgar, also taking control of Khotan and Yarkand, which were Chinese dependencies in the Tarim Basin, modern Xinjiang. They introduced the Brahmi script, the Indian Prakrit language for administration, and expanded the influence of Greco - Buddhist art which developed into Serindian art. Eastern Han inscriptions on lead ingot, using barbarous Greek alphabet in the style of the Kushans, excavated in Shaanxi, 1st - 2nd century CE. The Kushans are again recorded to have sent presents to the Chinese court in 158 -- 159 during the reign of emperor Huan of Han. Following these interactions, cultural exchanges further increased, and Kushan Buddhist missionaries, such as Lokaksema, became active in the Chinese capital cities of Loyang and sometimes Nanjing, where they particularly distinguished themselves by their translation work. They were the first recorded promoters of Hinayana and Mahayana scriptures in China, greatly contributing to the Silk Road transmission of Buddhism. Decline Hormizd I Kushanshah ( 277 - 286 CE ), king of the Indo - Sasanians, maintained Sasanian rule in former Kushan territories of the northwest. Naqsh - e Rustam Bahram II panel. After the death of Vasudeva I in 225, the Kushan empire split into western and eastern halves. The Western Kushans ( in Afghanistan ) were soon subjugated by the Persian Sasanian Empire and lost Sogdiana, Bactria and Gandhara to them. The Sasanians deposed the Western dynasty and replaced them with Persian vassals known as the Kushanshas ( also called Indo - Sasanians or Kushano - Sasanians ). The Eastern Kushan kingdom was based in the Punjab. Around 270 their territories on the Gangetic plain became independent under local dynasties such as the Yaudheyas. Then in the mid-4th century they were subjugated by the Gupta Empire under Samudragupta. In 360 a Kidarite Hun named Kidara overthrew the Indo - Sasanians and remnants of the old Kushan dynasty, and established the Kidarite Kingdom. The Kushan style of Kidarite coins indicates they claimed Kushan heritage. The Kidarite seem to have been rather prosperous, although on a smaller scale than their Kushan predecessors. These remnants of the Kushan empire were ultimately wiped out in the 5th century by the invasions of the Hephthalites, the Alchon Huns and the Nezak Huns in the northwest, and the rise of the Gupta empire in the east. Rulers Listing of Kushan royal tamgas. Heraios ( c. 1 -- 30 ), first Kushan ruler, generally Kushan ruling period is disputed Kujula Kadphises ( c. 30 -- c. 80 ) Vima Takto ( c. 80 -- c. 95 ), alias Soter Megas or `` Great Saviour. '' Vima Kadphises ( c. 95 -- c. 127 ) the first great Kushan emperor Kanishka the Great ( 127 -- c. 140 ) Vāsishka ( c. 140 -- c. 160 ) Huvishka ( c. 160 -- c. 190 ) Vasudeva I ( c. 190 -- to at least 230 ), the last of the great Kushan emperors Kanishka II ( c. 230 -- 240 ) Vashishka ( c. 240 -- 250 ) Kanishka III ( c. 250 -- 275 ) Vasudeva II ( c. 275 -- 310 ) Vasudeva III reported son of Vasudeva II, a King, uncertain. Vasudeva IV reported possible child of Vasudeva III, ruling in Kandahar, uncertain. Vasudeva V, or `` Vasudeva of Kabul '' reported possible child of Vasudeva IV, ruling in Kabul, uncertain. Chhu ( c. 310 ? -- 325 ? ) Shaka I ( c. 325 -- 345 ) Kipunada ( c. 345 -- 375 ) See also Pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan Indo - Parthian Kingdom Kucha, another Tocharian - speaking kingdom ( with a related etymology ) History of Pakistan Mathura Taxila Notes Kushan devotee, Mathura. Jump up ^ `` The Rabatak inscription claims that in the year 1 Kanishka I 's authority was proclaimed in India, in all the satrapies and in different cities like Koonadeano ( Kundina ), Ozeno ( Ujjain ), Kozambo ( Kausambi ), Zagedo ( Saketa ), Palabotro ( Pataliputra ) and Ziri - Tambo ( Janjgir - Champa ). These cities lay to the east and south of Mathura, up to which locality Wima had already carried his victorious arm. Therefore they must have been captured or subdued by Kanishka I himself. '' `` Ancient Indian Inscriptions '', S.R. Goyal, p. 93. See also the analysis of Sims - Williams and J. Cribb, who had a central role in the decipherment : `` A new Bactrian inscription of Kanishka the Great '', in `` Silk Road Art and Archaeology '' No4, 1995 -- 1996. Also Mukherjee B.N. `` The Great Kushanan Testament '', Indian Museum Bulletin. Jump up ^ The Kushans at first retained the Greek language for administrative purposes but soon began to use Bactrian. The Bactrian Rabatak inscription ( discovered in 1993 and deciphered in 2000 ) records that the Kushan king Kanishka the Great ( c. 127 AD ), discarded Greek ( Ionian ) as the language of administration and adopted Bactrian ( `` Arya language '' ), from Falk ( 2001 ) : `` The yuga of Sphujiddhvaja and the era of the Kuṣâṇas. '' Harry Falk. Silk Road Art and Archaeology VII, p. 133. ^ Jump up to : The Bactrian Rabatak inscription ( discovered in 1993 and deciphered in 2000 ) records that the Kushan king Kanishka the Great ( c. 127 AD ), discarded Greek ( Ionian ) as the language of administration and adopted Bactrian ( `` Arya language '' ), from Falk ( 2001 ) : `` The yuga of Sphujiddhvaja and the era of the Kuṣâṇas. '' Harry Falk. Silk Road Art and Archaeology VII, p. 133. Jump up ^ André Wink, Al - Hind, the Making of the Indo - Islamic World : The Slavic Kings and the Islamic conquest, 11th - 13th centuries, ( Oxford University Press, 1997 ), 57. Jump up ^ The Silk Road in World History By Xinru Liu, Pg. 61 ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Golden 1992, p. 56. ^ Jump up to : `` Afghanistan : Central Asian and Sassanian Rule, ca. 150 B.C. - 700 A.D. '' United States : Library of Congress Country Studies. 1997. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 16. Jump up ^ The Dynasty Arts of the Kushans, University of California Press, 1967, p. 5 Jump up ^ http://www.kushan.org/general/other/part1.htm and Si - Yu - Ki, Buddhist Records of the Western World, ( Tr. Samuel Beal : Travels of Fa - Hian, The Mission of Sung - Yun and Hwei - S ? ng, Books 1 -- 5 ), Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd. London. 1906 and Hill ( 2009 ), pp. 29, 318 -- 350 Jump up ^ which began about 127 CE. `` Falk 2001, pp. 121 -- 136 '', Falk ( 2001 ), pp. 121 -- 136, Falk, Harry ( 2004 ), pp. 167 -- 176 and Hill ( 2009 ), pp. 29, 33, 368 -- 371. Jump up ^ Grégoire Frumkin ( 1970 ). Archaeology in Soviet Central Asia. Brill Archive. pp. 51 --. GGKEY : 4NPLATFACBB. Jump up ^ Rafi U. Samad ( 2011 ). The Grandeur of Gandhara : The Ancient Buddhist Civilization of the Swat, Peshawar, Kabul and Indus Valleys. Algora Publishing. pp. 93 --. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87586 - 859 - 2. Jump up ^ Runion, Meredith L. ( 2007 ). The history of Afghanistan. Westport : Greenwood Press. p. 46. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 33798 - 7. The Yuezhi people conquered Bactria in the second century BCE. and divided the country into five chiefdoms, one of which would become the Kushan Empire. Recognizing the importance of unification, these five tribes combined under the one dominate Kushan tribe, and the primary rulers descended from the Yuezhi. ^ Jump up to : Liu, Xinrui ( 2001 ). Adas, Michael, ed. Agricultural and pastoral societies in ancient and classical history. Philadelphia : Temple University Press. p. 156. ISBN 978 - 1 - 56639 - 832 - 9. Jump up ^ Enoki, Koshelenko & Haidary 1994, pp. 171 -- 191 Jump up ^ Girshman, Roman. `` Ancient Iran : The movement of Iranian peoples ''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 29 May 2015. At the end of the 3rd century, there began in Chinese Turkistan a long migration of the Yuezhi, an Iranian people who invaded Bactria about 130 bc, putting an end to the Greco - Bactrian kingdom there. ( In the 1st century bc they created the Kushān dynasty, whose rule extended from Afghanistan to the Ganges River and from Russian Turkistan to the estuary of the Indus. ) Jump up ^ Pulleyblank 1966, pp. 9 -- 39 Jump up ^ Mallory 1989, pp. 59 -- 60 Jump up ^ Mallory 1997, pp. 591 -- 593 Jump up ^ Mallory & Mair ( 2000 ), pp. 270 -- 297. ^ Jump up to : Loewe & Shaughnessy 1999, pp. 87 -- 88 Jump up ^ Benjamin, Craig ( October 2003 ). `` The Yuezhi Migration and Sogdia ''. Transoxiana Webfestschrift. Transoxiana. 1 ( Ēran ud Anērān ). Retrieved 29 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Zhang Qian ''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 29 May 2015. Jump up ^ West 2009, pp. 713 -- 717 Jump up ^ `` They are, by almost unanimous opinion, Indo - Europeans, probably the most oriental of those who occupied the steppes. '' Roux, p. 90 Jump up ^ Hill ( 2009 ), p. 36 and notes. Jump up ^ `` Kushan Empire ( ca. 2nd century B.C. & # 150 ; 3rd century A.D. ) Thematic Essay Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History The Metropolitan Museum of Art ''. metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 23. Jump up ^ Hill ( 2009 ), p. 311. Jump up ^ Loewe, Michael A.N. ( 1979 ). `` Introduction ''. In Hulsewé, Anthony François Paulus. China in Central Asia : The Early Stage : 125 BC -- AD 23 ; an Annotated Translation of Chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty. Brill. pp. 1 -- 70. ISBN 978 - 90 - 04 - 05884 - 2. pp. 23 -- 24. Jump up ^ Lebedynsky, p. 62. Jump up ^ Lebedynsky, p. 15. Jump up ^ Grousset, Rene ( 1970 ). The Empire of the Steppes. Rutgers University Press. p. 32. ISBN 0 - 8135 - 1304 - 9. ^ Jump up to : Hill ( 2009 ), p. 29. Jump up ^ Chavannes ( 1907 ), pp. 190 -- 192. Jump up ^ S. Frederick Starr, Lost Enlightenment : Central Asia 's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane. Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 2013, p. 53 Jump up ^ Starr, p. 53 ^ Jump up to : Rosenfield, p. 41. Jump up ^ For `` Malwa and Maharashtra, for which it is speculated that the Kushans had an alliance with the Western Kshatrapas '', see : Rosenfield, p. 41. Jump up ^ Hall, D.G.E. ( 1981 ). A History of South - East Asia, Fourth Edition. Hong Kong : Macmillan Education Ltd. p. 17. ISBN 0 - 333 - 24163 - 0. Jump up ^ For a translation of the full text of the Rabatak inscription see : Mukherjee, B.N., `` The Great Kushana Testament '', Indian Museum Bulletin, Calcutta, 1995. This translation is quoted in : Goyal ( 2005 ), p. 88. Jump up ^ For quotation : `` The Rabatak inscription claims that in the year 1 Kanishka I 's authority was proclaimed in India, in all the satrapies and in different cities like Koonadeano ( Kundina ), Ozeno ( Ujjain ), Kozambo ( Kausambi ), Zagedo ( Saketa ), Palabotro ( Pataliputra ) and Ziri - Tambo ( Janjgir - Champa ). These cities lay to the east and south of Mathura, up to which locality Wima had already carried his victorious arm. Therefore they must have been captured or subdued by Kanishka I himself. '' see : Goyal, p. 93. Jump up ^ See also the analysis of Sims - Williams and J. Cribb, specialists of the field, who had a central role in the decipherment : `` A new Bactrian inscription of Kanishka the Great '', in Silk Road Art and Archaeology No. 4, 1995 -- 1996. pp. 75 -- 142. Jump up ^ Sims - Williams, Nicholas. `` Bactrian Documents from Ancient Afghanistan ''. Archived from the original on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 2007 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ British Museum display, Asian Art room. Jump up ^ The Sino - Kharosthi coins of Khotan part 2, Numismatic Chronicle ( 1984 ), pp. 129 - 152., by Joe Cribb Jump up ^ Falk ( 2001 ), pp. 121 -- 136. Jump up ^ Falk ( 2004 ), pp. 167 -- 176. Jump up ^ Xinru Liu, The Silk Road in World History ( New York : Oxford University Press, 2010 ), 47. Jump up ^ Sivaramamurti, p. 56 - 59. ^ Jump up to : Loeschner, Hans ( 2012 ) The Stūpa of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great Sino - Platonic Papers, No. 227 ( July 2012 ) ; page 11 ^ Jump up to : Bopearachchi, O. ( 2007 ). Some observations on the chronology of the early Kushans. Res Orientales, 17, 41 - 53 Jump up ^ Sims - Williams, Nicolas. `` Bactrian Language ''. Encyclopaedia Iranica. 3. London : Routledge & Kegan Paul. Jump up ^ H. Humbach, 1975, p. 402 - 408. K. Tanabe, 1997, p. 277, M. Carter, 1995, p. 152. J. Cribb, 1997, p. 40. References cited in `` De l'Indus à l'Oxus ''. ^ Jump up to : Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition Jump up ^ Perkins, J. ( 2007 ). Three - headed Śiva on the Reverse of Vima Kadphises 's Copper Coinage. South Asian Studies, 23 ( 1 ), 31 - 37 Jump up ^ Xinru Liu, The Silk Road in World History ( New York : Oxford University Press, 2010 ), 42. Jump up ^ Xinru Liu, The Silk Road in World History ( New York : Oxford University Press, 2010 ), 58. Jump up ^ Neelis, Jason. Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks. 2010. p. 141 Jump up ^ Birmingham Museum of Art ( 2010 ). Birmingham Museum of Art : guide to the collection. ( Birmingham, Ala ) : Birmingham Museum of Art. p. 51. ISBN 978 - 1 - 904832 - 77 - 5. Jump up ^ Hill ( 2009 ), p. 31. ^ Jump up to : de Crespigny, Rafe. ( 2007 ). A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms ( 23 - 220 AD ). Leiden : Koninklijke Brill. page 5 - 6. ISBN 90 - 04 - 15605 - 4. ^ Jump up to : Torday, Laszlo. ( 1997 ). Mounted Archers : The Beginnings of Central Asian History. Durham : The Durham Academic Press. page 393. ISBN 1 - 900838 - 03 - 6. Jump up ^ Joe Cribb, 1974, `` Chinese lead ingots with barbarous Greek inscriptions in Coin Hoards '' pp. 76 - 8 ( 2 ) ^ Jump up to : The Glorious History of Kushana Empire, Adesh Katariya, 2012, p. 69 References Avari, Burjor ( 2007 ). India : The Ancient Past. London : Routledge. ISBN 978 - 0 - 415 - 35616 - 9. Bopearachchi, Osmund ( 2003 ). De l'Indus à l'Oxus, Archéologie de l'Asie Centrale ( in French ). Lattes : Association imago - musée de Lattes. ISBN 2 - 9516679 - 2 - 2. Chavannes, Édouard ( 1906 ). Trois Généraux Chinois de la dynastie des Han Orientaux. Pan Tch'ao ( 32 -- 102 p.C. ) ; -- son fils Pan Yong ; -- Leang K'in ( 112 p.C. ). Chapitre LXXVII du Heou Han chou ' '. T'oung pao 7. Faccenna, Domenico ( 1980 ). Butkara I ( Swāt, Pakistan ) 1956 -- 1962, Volume III 1 ( in English ). Rome : IsMEO ( Istituto Italiano Per Il Medio Ed Estremo Oriente ). Chavannes, Édouard ( 1907 ). Les pays d'occident d'après le Heou Han chou. T'oung pao 8. pp. 149 -- 244. Enoki, K. ; Koshelenko, G.A. ; Haidary, Z. ( 1 January 1994 ). `` The Yu'eh - chih and their migrations ''. In Harmatta, János. History of Civilizations of Central Asia : The Development of Sedentary and Nomadic Civilizations, 700 B.C. to A.D. 250. UNESCO. pp. 171 -- 191. ISBN 9231028464. Retrieved 29 May 2015. Falk, Harry. 1995 -- 1996. Silk Road Art and Archaeology IV. Falk, Harry. 2001. `` The yuga of Sphujiddhvaja and the era of the Kuṣāṇas. '' Silk Road Art and Archaeology VII, pp. 121 -- 136. Falk, Harry. 2004. `` The Kaniṣka era in Gupta records. '' Harry Falk. Silk Road Art and Archaeology X, pp. 167 -- 176. Golden, Peter B. ( 1992 ). An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples. Harrassowitz Verlag. Goyal, S.R. `` Ancient Indian Inscriptions '' Kusumanjali Book World, Jodhpur ( India ), 2005. Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West from the Weilüe 魏 略 by Yu Huan 魚 豢 : A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE. Draft annotated English translation. ( 3 ) Hill, John E. ( 2009 ). Through the Jade Gate to Rome : A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, First to Second Centuries CE. BookSurge. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4392 - 2134 - 1. Lebedynsky, Iaroslav ( 2006 ). Les Saces. Paris : Editions Errance. ISBN 2 - 87772 - 337 - 2. Loewe, Michael ; Shaughnessy, Edward L. ( 1999 ). The Cambridge History of Ancient China : From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 - 5214 - 7030 - 7. Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 01. Mallory, J.P. ( 1989 ). In Search of the Indo - Europeans : Language, Archaeology, and Myth. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 050005052X. Retrieved 29 May 2015. Mallory, J.P. ( 1997 ). Encyclopedia of Indo - European Culture. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1884964982. Retrieved 29 May 2015. Mallory, J.P. ; Mair, Victor H. ( 2000 ). `` The Tarim Mummies : Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West ''. London : Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0 - 500 - 05101 - 1... Pulleyblank, Edwin G. ( 1966 ). Chinese and Indo - Europeans. University of British Columbia, Department of Asian Studies. Retrieved February 14, 2015. Rosenfield, John M. ( 1993 ). The Dynastic Art of the Kushans. New Delhi : Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 81 - 215 - 0579 - 8. Sivaramamurti, C. ( 1976 ). Śatarudrīya : Vibhūti of Śiva 's Iconography. Delhi : Abhinav Publications. Roux, Jean - Paul, L'Asie Centrale, Histoire et Civilization ( French ), Fayard, 1997, ISBN 978 - 2 - 213 - 59894 - 9 `` Red Sandstone Railing Pillar. '' The British Museum Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 1 / 2, 1965, pp. 64 -- 64. www.jstor.org/stable/4422925. Masson, V.M. `` The Forgotten Kushan Empire : New Discoveries at Zar - Tepe. '' Archaeology, vol. 37, no. 1, 1984, pp. 32 -- 37. www.jstor.org/stable/41728802. Hoey, W. `` The Word Kozola as Used of Kadphises on Ku͟s͟hān Coins. '' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 1902, pp. 428 -- 429. www.jstor.org/stable/25208419. West, Barbara A. ( January 1, 2009 ). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 1438119135. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 29. Further reading Benjamin, Craig ( 2007 ). The Yuezhi : Origin, Migration and the Conquest of Northern Bactria. ISD. ISBN 250352429X. Retrieved 29 May 2015. Dorn'eich, Chris M. ( 2008 ). Chinese sources on the History of the Niusi - Wusi - Asi ( oi ) - Rishi ( ka ) - Arsi - Arshi - Ruzhi and their Kueishuang - Kushan Dynasty. Shiji 110 / Hanshu 94A : The Xiongnu : Synopsis of Chinese original Text and several Western Translations with Extant Annotations. Berlin. To read or download go to : ( 4 ) Foucher, M.A. 1901. `` Notes sur la geographie ancienne du Gandhâra ( commentaire à un chaptaire de Hiuen - Tsang ). '' BEFEO No. 4, Oct. 1901, pp. 322 -- 369. Hargreaves, H. ( 1910 -- 11 ) : `` Excavations at Shāh - jī - kī Dhērī '' ; Archaeological Survey of India, 1910 -- 11, pp. 25 -- 32. Harmatta, János, ed., 1994. History of civilizations of Central Asia, Volume II. The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations : 700 B.C. to A.D. 250. Paris, UNESCO Publishing. Konow, Sten. Editor. 1929. Kharoshthī Inscriptions with Exception of those of Asoka. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. II, Part I. Reprint : Indological Book House, Varanasi, 1969. Lerner, Martin ( 1984 ). The flame and the lotus : Indian and Southeast Asian art from the Kronos collections. New York : The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 0 - 87099 - 374 - 7. Litvinsky, B.A., ed., 1996. History of civilizations of Central Asia, Volume III. The crossroads of civilizations : A.D. 250 to 750. Paris, UNESCO Publishing. Liu, Xinru 2001 `` Migration and Settlement of the Yuezhi - Kushan : Interaction and Interdependence of Nomadic and Sedentary Societies. '' Journal of World History, Volume 12, No. 2, Fall 2001. University of Hawaii Press, pp. 261 -- 292. ( 5 ). Sarianidi, Viktor. 1985. The Golden Hoard of Bactria : From the Tillya - tepe Excavations in Northern Afghanistan. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. Sims - Williams, Nicholas. 1998. `` Further notes on the Bactrian inscription of Rabatak, with an Appendix on the names of Kujula Kadphises and Vima Taktu in Chinese. '' Proceedings of the Third European Conference of Iranian Studies Part 1 : Old and Middle Iranian Studies. Edited by Nicholas Sims - Williams. Wiesbaden. 1998, pp. 79 -- 93. Spooner, D.B. 1908 -- 9. `` Excavations at Shāh - jī - kī Dhērī. '' ; Archaeological Survey of India, 1908 -- 9, pp. 38 -- 59. Watson, Burton. Trans. 1993. Records of the Grand Historian of China : Han Dynasty II. Translated from the Shiji of Sima Qian. Chapter 123 : `` The Account of Dayuan, '' Columbia University Press. Revised Edition. ISBN 0 - 231 - 08166 - 9 ; ISBN 0 - 231 - 08167 - 7 ( pbk. ) Zürcher, E. ( 1968 ). `` The Yüeh - chih and Kaniṣka in the Chinese sources. '' Papers on the Date of Kaniṣka. Basham, A.L., ed., 1968. Leiden : E.J. Brill. pp. 346 -- 393. Kennedy, J. `` The Later Kushans. '' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 1913, pp. 1054 -- 1064. www.jstor.org/stable/25189078. Rife, J.L. `` The Making of Roman India by Grant Parker ( review ). '' American Journal of Philology, vol. 135 no. 4, 2014, pp. 672 -- 675. Project MUSE, doi : 10.1353 / ajp. 2014.0046. Iloliev, A. `` King of Men :  ̔ Ali ibn Abi Talib in Pamiri Folktales. '' Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies, vol. 8 no. 3, 2015, pp. 307 -- 323. Project MUSE, doi : 10.1353 / isl. 2015.0036. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kushan Empire. Kushan dynasty in Encyclopædia Britannica Metropolitan Museum capsule history New documents help fix controversial Kushan dating Coins of the Kushans on wildwinds.com Antique Indian Coins Brief Guide to Kushan History The CoinIndia Online Catalogue of Kushan Coins Dedicated resource to study of Kushan Empire Ancient South Asia and Central Asia Archaeology and prehistory Proto - Indo - Iranians Bactria -- Margiana Archaeological Complex ( BMAC ) Indo - Aryan migration theory Swat culture Genetics and archaeogenetics History of the horse Historical peoples and clans Saka Indo - Scythians Yuezhi Kambojas Sakaldwipiya Parsi Kidarites Alchon Huns Hephthalites Nezak Huns States Greco - Bactrian Kingdom Indo - Greek Kingdom Indo - Parthian Kingdom Kushan Empire Kamboja Kingdom Mythology and literature Shakdvipa Āryāvarta Indo - Scythians in Indian literature Uttaramadra Uttarakuru Middle kingdoms of India Timeline and cultural period Northwestern India ( Punjab - Sapta Sindhu ) Indo - Gangetic Plain Central India Southern India Upper Gangetic Plain ( Kuru - Panchala ) Middle Gangetic Plain Lower Gangetic Plain IRON AGE Culture Late Vedic Period Late Vedic Period ( Brahmin ideology ) Painted Grey Ware culture Late Vedic Period ( Kshatriya / Shramanic culture ) Northern Black Polished Ware Pre-history 6th century BC Gandhara Kuru - Panchala Magadha Adivasi ( tribes ) Culture Persian - Greek influences `` Second Urbanisation '' Rise of Shramana movements Jainism - Buddhism - Ājīvika - Yoga Pre-history 5th century BC ( Persian rule ) Shishunaga dynasty Adivasi ( tribes ) 4th century BC ( Greek conquests ) Nanda empire HISTORICAL AGE Culture Spread of Buddhism Pre-history Sangam period ( 300 BC -- 200 AD ) 3rd century BC Maurya Empire Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras 46 other small kingdoms in Ancient Thamizhagam Culture Preclassical Hinduism - `` Hindu Synthesis '' ( ca. 200 BC - 300 AD ) Epics - Puranas - Ramayana - Mahabharata - Bhagavad Gita - Brahma Sutras - Smarta Tradition Mahayana Buddhism Sangam period ( continued ) ( 300 BC -- 200 AD ) 2nd century BC Indo - Greek Kingdom Shunga Empire Maha - Meghavahana Dynasty Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras 46 other small kingdoms in Ancient Thamizhagam 1st century BC 1st century AD Indo - Scythians Indo - Parthians Kuninda Kingdom 2nd century Kushan Empire 3rd century Kushano - Sasanian Kingdom Kushan Empire Western Satraps Kamarupa kingdom Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Culture `` Golden Age of Hinduism '' ( ca. AD 320 - 650 ) Puranas Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism 4th century Kidarites Gupta Empire Varman dynasty Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Kadamba Dynasty Western Ganga Dynasty 5th century Hephthalite Empire Alchon Huns Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Vishnukundina 6th century Nezak Huns Kabul Shahi Maitraka Adivasi ( tribes ) Badami Chalukyas Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Culture Late - Classical Hinduism ( ca. AD 650 - 1100 ) Advaita Vedanta - Tantra Decline of Buddhism in India 7th century Indo - Sassanids Vakataka dynasty Empire of Harsha Mlechchha dynasty Adivasi ( tribes ) Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Pandyan Kingdom ( Revival ) Pallava 8th century Kabul Shahi Pala Empire Pandyan Kingdom Kalachuri 9th century Gurjara - Pratihara Rashtrakuta dynasty Pandyan Kingdom Medieval Cholas Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Cholas ) Chera Perumals of Makkotai 10th century Ghaznavids Pala dynasty Kamboja - Pala dynasty Kalyani Chalukyas Medieval Cholas Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Cholas ) Chera Perumals of Makkotai Rashtrakuta hide References and sources for table References Jump up ^ Samuel Jump up ^ Samuel Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 39 Jump up ^ Hiltebeitel ( 2002 ) Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 39 Jump up ^ Hiltebeitel ( 2002 ) Jump up ^ Micheals ( 2004 ) p. 40 Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 41 Sources Flood, Gavin D. ( 1996 ), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press Hiltebeitel, Alf ( 2002 ), Hinduism. In : Joseph Kitagawa, `` The Religious Traditions of Asia : Religion, History, and Culture '', Routledge Michaels, Axel ( 2004 ), Hinduism. Past and present, Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press Samuel, Geoffrey ( 2010 ), The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Cambridge University Press `` The template below ( Empires ) is being considered for merging. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. '' Empires Ancient Akkadian Egyptian Assyrian Babylonian Carthaginian Chinese Qin Han Three Kingdoms Jin North and South Hellenistic Macedonian Seleucid Hittite Indian Nanda Maurya Satavahana Shunga Gupta Harsha Iranian Elamite Median Achaemenid Parthian Sasanian Kushan Mongol Xianbei Xiongnu Roman Western Eastern Teotihuacan Post-classical Arab Rashidun Umayyad Abbasid Fatimid Córdoba Aragonese Angevin Aztec Benin Bornu Bruneian Bulgarian First Second Byzantine Nicaea Trebizond Chinese Sui Tang Song Yuan Ethiopian Zagwe Solomonic Georgian Hunnic Inca Indian Chola Gurjara - Pratihara Pala Eastern Ganga dynasty Delhi Vijayanagara Iranian Samanid Kanem Khmer Latin Majapahit Malaccan Mali Mongol Yuan Golden Horde Chagatai Khanate Ilkhanate Moroccan Idrisid Almoravid Almohad Marinid North Sea Oyo Holy - Roman Carolingian Serbian Somali Ajuran Ifatite Adalite Mogadishan Warsangali Songhai Srivijaya Tibetan Turko - Persian Ghaznavid Great Seljuk Khwarezmian Timurid Vietnamese Ly Tran Le Wagadou Modern Ashanti Austrian Austro - Hungarian Brazilian Central African Chinese Ming Qing China Manchukuo Ethiopian French First Second German First / Old Reich Second Reich Third Reich Haitian First Second Indian Maratha Sikh Mughal British Raj Iranian Safavid Afsharid Japanese Johor Korean Mexican First Second Moroccan Saadi Alaouite Russian Somali Gobroon Majeerteen Hobyo Dervish Soviet Swedish Tongan Turkish Ottoman Karaman Ramazan Vietnamese Tay Son Nguyen Vietnam Colonial American Belgian British English Danish Dutch French German Italian Japanese Omani Norwegian Portuguese Spanish Swedish Lists Empires largest ancient great powers medieval great powers modern great powers Kushan Empire Emperors, territories and chronology Territories / dates Western India Western Pakistan Balochistan Paropamisadae Arachosia Bajaur Gandhara Western Punjab Eastern Punjab Mathura Pataliputra INDO - SCYTHIAN KINGDOM INDO - GREEK KINGDOM Indo - Scythian Northern Satraps 25 BCE -- 10 CE Indo - Scythian dynasty of the APRACHARAJAS Vijayamitra ( ruled 12 BCE - 15 CE ) Liaka Kusulaka Patika Kusulaka Zeionises Kharahostes ( ruled 10 BCE -- 10 CE ) Mujatria Strato II and Strato III Hagana 10 - 20CE INDO - PARTHIAN KINGDOM Gondophares Indravasu INDO - PARTHIAN KINGDOM Gondophares Rajuvula 20 - 30 CE Ubouzanes Pakores Vispavarma ( ruled c. 0 - 20 CE ) Sarpedones Bhadayasa Sodasa 30 - 40 CE KUSHAN EMPIRE Kujula Kadphises Indravarma Abdagases...... 40 - 45 CE Aspavarma Gadana...... 45 - 50 CE Sasan Sases...... 50 - 75 CE...... 75 - 100 CE Indo - Scythian dynasty of the WESTERN SATRAPS Chastana Vima Takto...... 100 - 120 CE Abhiraka Vima Kadphises...... 120 CE Bhumaka Nahapana PARATARAJAS Yolamira Kanishka I Great Satrap Kharapallana and Satrap Vanaspara for Kanishka I 130 - 230 CE Jayadaman Rudradaman I Damajadasri I Jivadaman Rudrasimha I Isvaradatta Rudrasimha I Jivadaman Rudrasena I Bagamira Arjuna Hvaramira Mirahvara Vāsishka ( c. 140 -- c. 160 ) Huvishka ( c. 160 -- c. 190 ) Vasudeva I ( c. 190 -- to at least 230 ) 230 - 280 CE Samghadaman Damasena Damajadasri II Viradaman Yasodaman I Vijayasena Damajadasri III Rudrasena II Visvasimha Miratakhma Kozana Bhimarjuna Koziya Datarvharna Datarvharna INDO - SASANIANS Ardashir I, Sassanid king and `` Kushanshah '' ( c. 230 -- 250 ) Peroz I, `` Kushanshah '' ( c. 250 -- 265 ) Hormizd I, `` Kushanshah '' ( c. 265 -- 295 ) Kanishka II ( c. 230 -- 240 ) Vashishka ( c. 240 -- 250 ) Kanishka III ( c. 250 -- 275 ) 280 - 300 Bhratadarman Datayola II Hormizd II, `` Kushanshah '' ( c. 295 -- 300 ) Vasudeva II ( c. 275 -- 310 ) 300 - 320 CE Visvasena Rudrasimha II Jivadaman Peroz II, `` Kushanshah '' ( c. 300 -- 325 ) Vasudeva III Vasudeva IV Vasudeva V Chhu ( c. 310 ? -- 325 ) 320 - 388 CE Yasodaman II Rudradaman II Rudrasena III Simhasena Rudrasena IV Shapur II Sassanid king and `` Kushanshah '' ( c. 325 ) Varhran I, Varhran II, Varhran III `` Kushanshahs '' ( c. 325 -- 350 ) Peroz III `` Kushanshah '' ( c. 350 -- 360 ) HEPHTHALITE / HUNAS invasions Shaka I ( c. 325 -- 345 ) Kipunada ( c. 345 -- 375 ) GUPTA EMPIRE Chandragupta I Samudragupta 388 - 396 CE Rudrasimha III Chandragupta II NDL : 00567066 Jump up ^ From the dated inscription on the Rukhana reliquary Jump up ^ An Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary of the Time of King Kharaosta and Prince Indravarman, Richard Salomon, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 116, No. 3 ( Jul. - Sep., 1996 ), pp. 442 ( 6 ) Jump up ^ A Kharosthī Reliquary Inscription of the Time of the Apraca Prince Visnuvarma, by Richard Salomon, South Asian Studies 11 1995, Pages 27 - 32, Published online : 09 Aug 2010 ( 7 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kushan_Empire&oldid=842442888 '' Categories : Former monarchies of Asia Former countries in Asia Nomadic empires Former empires States and territories established in the 30s States and territories disestablished in the 4th century Kushan Empire History of Central Asia Former empires in Asia Ancient history of Afghanistan Ancient history of Pakistan Empires and kingdoms of India 375 disestablishments History of Buddhism Buddhism in India Buddhism in Afghanistan Buddhism in Pakistan Dynasties of India Lists of monarchs Nomadic groups in Eurasia History of Tajikistan 1st - century establishments in India 4th - century disestablishments in India Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from December 2015 Use Indian English from December 2015 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Articles containing Bactrian - language text Articles containing Sanskrit - language text Articles containing Ancient Greek - language text Pages using infobox former country with unknown parameters Articles containing Parthian - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2011 All Wikipedia articles needing clarification Wikipedia articles needing clarification from April 2010 All articles with vague or ambiguous time Vague or ambiguous time from April 2010 All accuracy disputes Articles with disputed statements from April 2010 CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Alemannisch Ænglisc Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Čeština Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Ирон Íslenska Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar മലയാളം Malti मराठी Bahasa Melayu Монгол Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی پښتو Polski Português Русский Scots Sicilianu Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Тоҷикӣ Türkçe Türkmençe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 粵語 中文 Lingua Franca Nova 71 more Edit links This page was last edited on 22 May 2018, at 13 : 55. 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Question: when did the kushan empire begin and end
Answer: 30–375