Rise and growth -- Embryonic phase -- Transient phase -- Kushan Empire -- The golden age -- Decline -- Sangharamas -- Gandhara sculptures -- Gandhari & Kharoshthi -- The literary environment -- Influence in Central Asia -- Gandhara and Chinese Buddhism -- Gandhara & Japanese Buddhism -- Gandhara & Korean Buddhism -- Trade and commerce -- Afterword
Summary
The northwestern regions of Pakistan and southeastern regions of Afghanistan were once the heart of a highly developed civilization whose cultural impact was felt from China to Persia. A major center of Buddhism, its cultural attainments were highlights of ancient civilization. The author's research, accompanied by some 60 illustrations, offers Americans an entirely new understanding of the desolate region shown on the nightly news. The Persian, Greek and Central Asian invasions of Gandhara, rather than causing wide scale destruction in the region, promoted the development of a multi-cultural
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-278) and index
