The Buddhas of Bamiyan

description: 
<p>Their story in three acts: birth, death, and rebirth.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-bamiyan.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era2/554.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-bamiyan.png
Era: 
Age of Empire
Theme: 
Traces &amp; Narratives
Year: 
554
BCE/CE: 
CE
Date Period: 
CE
Caption: 
The giant Buddhas stood over the Bamiyan valley.
More Information: 
<p><em>2001 MS ZI Statue of Bamiyan Buddha Exploding</em>. Video. Archive Films / Getty Images.</p> <p>&quot;Bamiyan Buddha Afghan Commemerative Stamps.&quot; Digital image. Silk Roads and Siamese Smiles. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://silkroadsandsiamesesmiles.com/2008/05/02/bamiyan-buddha-afghan-commemerative-stamps/.</p> <p>Bluuurgh. &quot;Taliban in Herat.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taliban-herat-2001_retouched.jpg.</p> <p>Boukhari, Sophie, and UNESCO. &quot;Head of Buddhist Statue.&quot; Digital image. UNESCO. http://photobank.unesco.org.</p> <p><em>The Boy Mir</em>. Directed by Phil Grabsky. Seventh Art Productions. http://www.theboymir.com/ The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Directed by Phil Grabsky. Seventh Art Productions. Film. http://www.theboywhoplaysonthebuddhasofbamiyan.com/</p> <p>&quot;Dastgah-e Mahur &quot;Serr-e 'eshq&quot;&quot; Recorded April 15, 1989. In <em>Music of Iran I</em>. Kyoji Hoshikawa and Hatsuro Takanami, 1989, CD.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>49-33</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>49-40</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>49-42</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>A73-23</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>Painting of Buddha on Clay</em>. 1965. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Hunter, Tracy. &quot;Boulders from Destroyed Buddha.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boulders_from_Destroyed_Buddha.jpg. <br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Hunter, Tracy. &quot;The Top of Buddhas Bamiyan.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_top_of_Buddhas_Bamiyan.jpg. <br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Hunter, Tracy. &quot;Welome Sign, Bamiyan, Welcome to Bamyan Ancient City, 2007.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welome_Sign,_Bamiyan,_Welcome_to_Bamyan_Ancient_City,_2007.jpg. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Massoud, Ahmad, and UNAMA. &quot;Photo of the Day: 10 December 2009.&quot; Digital image. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/unama/4173203765/in/photostream/.</p> <p>Montgomery, Carl. &quot;Buddahs of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.&quot; Digital image. Carl Montgomery's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlmontgomery/3068063004/. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Phecda109. &quot;Larger Bamyan Buddha from Base, Afghanistan 1977.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BamyanBuddha_Larger_1.jpg.</p> <p>Phecda109. &quot;Smaller Bamyan Buddha from Base, Afghanistan 1977-08-10.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BamyanBuddha_Smaller_1.jpg.</p> <p>Podzemnik. &quot;Taller Buddha of Bamiyan.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taller_Buddha_of_Bamiyan.JPG.<br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en</p> <p>&quot;Smaller Bamyan Buddha from Top, Afghanistan 1977.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BamyanBuddha_Smaller_2.jpg.</p> <p>Sqamarabbas. &quot;A View of Bamyan Valley Near the Big Budha Statue.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BamyanRectanglular.jpg.</p> <p>Sqamarabbas. &quot;A View of Bamyan Valley Near the Big Budha Statue.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BamyanRectanglular.jpg.</p> <p>Sqamarabbas. &quot;Big Budha Statue Used to Be Here.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BigBuddha.jpg.</p> <p><em>Top of the Head of the Buddha Statue in Bamiyan</em>. 1926. Khalilullah Enayat Seraj Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Zaccarias. &quot;Taller Buddha of Bamiyan before and after Destruction.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taller_Buddha_of_Bamiyan_before_and_after_destruction.jpg. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Kate Harding</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>For more than 1500 years, they watched over the Bamiyan Valley.</p> <p>Then one day they were gone.</p> <p>And then, they started to come back.<br /> <br /> Act I: BIRTH</p> <p>In the 6th century, two statues were carved directly into the sandstone cliffs of the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan.</p> <p>They were the largest statues of the Buddha in the world, and they were the jewels of the Kushan Empire.</p> <p>They were painted with rich colors, a bright beacon for travelers along the silk road, and their surrounding caves housed the earliest oil paintings in the world.</p> <p>Throughout the centuries, Bamiyan was a vibrant resting place, as traders and religious pilgrims from across Asia flocked to see the works of art. The area was rich, fertile, and cosmopolitan.</p> <p>Here we find obviously looking at the monasteries that surrounded the Bamyan Buddhas that this was an incredibly important place because trade caravans passed through here. And it has enough agricultural surplus to be able to support what you might consider to be the cultural level of a city without necessarily having the population to maintain it.</p> <p>But while the Buddhas invited guests, they also invited enemies. Mahmud of Ghazni, Genghis Khan, and Nadir Shah all tried to destroy the statues to prove their own might. But the statues survived, as if mocking the arrogance of emperors.</p> <p>Over the years, as Afghanistan transitioned and became almost entirely Muslim, the Bamiyan statues grew less important religiously. But they remained a source of pride for Afghans and an exceptional site of cultural heritage.</p> <p>They were Afghanistan&rsquo;s symbol to the world.</p> <p>Act Two: DEATH</p> <p>In 1996, the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan and began a cultural campaign to transform their country.</p> <p>Hoping to provide quick order to a disordered nation, they adopted a radical form of Islam. This fundamentalism forbade artistic depictions of the human body.</p> <p>Such depictions were seen as idols that might be worshiped in lieu of the invisible and infinite power of god.</p> <p>By 1999, the Taliban was indiscriminately destroying all Buddhist works of art in Afghanistan.</p> <p>But even they recognized that Bamiyan was an exception. In a public statement, they announced they would preserve the statues for the sake of tourism and cultural heritage.</p> <p>But the statues were a delicate issue for the Taliban. Every day that they remained standing, they challenged the tenets of the Taliban ideology.</p> <p>On the other hand, the Taliban were well aware that they could use the statues as bargaining points with the international community. Several countries were growing increasingly concerned about the fate of the Buddhas, and the Taliban knew they could win last-minute favors if they threatened to destroy the statues altogether.</p> <p>But as the Taliban grew increasingly unpopular, they knew they needed to flex their muscles more than ever. In 2001, they flew in the faces of the international community and many of their own countrymen. They dynamited the statues and destroyed them.<br /> VIDEO of blast.</p> <p>In the age of instant media, the destruction of the Buddhas became a sensation. People who had never heard of Bamiyan or of the Taliban were suddenly gripped by the story and disgusted by what they were learning about what was happening in Afghanistan. It seemed as if the Buddhas had become a potent symbol for the cruelty of the Taliban&rsquo;s ideology. This may have been precisely what the Taliban hoped to achieve.</p> <p>But it also meant that the Taliban would have to wonder if idols could be more powerful when they could no longer be seen.</p> <p>Act 3: REBIRTH</p> <p>Though the statues have been destroyed, Bamiyan remains one of the most fertile valleys in Afghanistan. It is still a popular tourist destination for Afghans, and there is even talk of rebuilding the Buddhas.</p> <p>Life goes on in Bamiyan, as Afghans everywhere work to rebuild their cultural heritage.</p> <p>In 2002, filmmaker Phil Grabsky traveled to Bamiyan to document the life of a boy living in the ruins of the Buddhas. He has continued to follow the boy&rsquo;s life as he grows up and becomes a man.<br /> &nbsp;</p>

Artistic Efflorescence

description: 
<p>Some of the world's most famous and beloved stories describe a mighty empire that was the crossroads of the medieval world. Despite fantastical characters, the way the Sasanian Empire brought cultures together was not a work of fiction.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-sasanians.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era2/350.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-sasanian2.png
Era: 
Age of Empire
Theme: 
Traces &amp; Narratives
Year: 
350
BCE/CE: 
CE
Date Period: 
CE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
Sasanians in China
More Information: 
<p>Amir85. &quot;ArdashirII.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ArdashirII_.jpg. &quot;Belt-Fitting, Late Sasanian.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://tinyurl.com/26cy5a2. &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>&quot;Bishapur (Iran) Sassanid Period.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bishapur_%28Iran%29_Sassanid_Period.JPG.</p> <p>Classical Numismatic Group. &quot;Coin of Shapur 1, Sasanian King.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shapuri.jpg.</p> <p>Dor&eacute;, Gustave. &quot;Sinbad the Sailor (5th Voyage).&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sinbad_the_Sailor_%285th_Voyage%29.jpg.</p> <p>Dynamosquito. &quot;Graffiti.&quot; Digital image. Dynamosquito's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dynamosquito/2554981839/.<br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Dynamosquito. &quot;Sasanian Plate.&quot; Digital image. Dynamosquito's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dynamosquito/4496695466/. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>&quot;Fitting, Early Sasanian.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://tinyurl.com/2bhztoy. &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>&quot;Fresco from Qizil.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QizilDonors.jpg.</p> <p>Mahwash. &quot;Gar Konad Saheb-E-Man (If My Eyes Meet The Ones Of The Lord).&quot; In <i>Radio Kaboul</i>. Accords Crois&eacute;s, 2003, CD.</p> <p>Murray, John. &quot;The Thousand and One Nights, 1859.&quot; Google Books. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://books.google.com/books?id=b6dhAAAAMAAJ&amp;dq=one thousand and one nights&amp;pg=PA1#v=thumbnail&amp;q&amp;f=true.</p> <p>Parish, Maxfield. &quot;Ali Baba.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ali-Baba.jpg.</p> <p>Shahbazi, Shapur. &quot;Sassanian Dynasty.&quot; In Encyclopedia Iranica, 149-51. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005.</p> <p>&quot;Textile Fragment: Walking Ram with a Neckband and Fluttering Ribbons, Sasanian.&quot; Digital image. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Works of Art, Near Eastern Art. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://tinyurl.com/2ek6znj.</p> <p>&quot;Textile0001.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Textile0001.jpg.</p> <p>Unknown. &quot;Two Pages from the Galland Manuscript, the Oldest Text of The Thousand and One Nights.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arabian_nights_manuscript.jpg.</p> <p>Walt Disney Pictures. &quot;Aladin.&quot; Digital image. 1992. Accessed October 10, 2010.</p> <p>&quot;Woven Silk, Bukhara, 800-1000 CE.&quot; Digital image. Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85316/woven-silk/.</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Grace Norman</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>Aladdin, Alibaba and the Forty Thiefs, and Sinbad the Sailor were all connected&mdash;in literary fiction&mdash;to the Sasanian King Shahryār.<br /> There were many versions of this tale, but they all told the story of the King&rsquo;s great distrust of women.</p> <p>Every night he took a new wife only to murder her in the morning. Then, he married &Scaron;ahrzād, a Persian queen.&nbsp;That night, the Queen told the King an intriguing story with a cliffhanger&ndash;and refused to say more until the next night. The King, who wanted to know the ending, would spare her life, only to be met with another cliffhanger the next night.&nbsp;This reportedly went on for 1,001 nights.</p> <p><em>One Thousand and One Nights</em> is a masterpiece collection of stories drawn from throughout Eurasia. Aladdin is Chinese. Ali Baba, Middle Eastern. Sinbad&rsquo;s adventures led him throughout South Asian and African waters. This series of stories were immortalized centuries later, and retold again and again throughout the world.</p> <p>The story&rsquo;s subtext was about a mighty empire that had the wherewithal to connect so many great civilizations of the medieval world. And that was the true story of the Sasanid Empire.</p> <p>Out of the ashes of the old Achaemenid Dynasty rose a new Persian golden age led by the Sasanians.</p> <p>How the Sasanians came to power was unclear, but this much was true: when Silk Roads trade was threatened by nomadic invaders, the Sasanians conquered the Hindu Kush region. This act helped stabalize Eurasian trade and helped spread Sasanian influence East and West.</p> <p>The Sasanians had a strong relationship with China. The empires forged alliances against nomadic invaders.</p> <p>To the West, relations with the Roman Empire was tumultuous at times, but the Emperors regarded one another as equals. Over the centuries, Sasanian art influenced medieval art traditions in Europe, Asia, and beyond.</p> <p>The Sasanian period was an era of great artistic efflorescence, great Sasanian craftsmen in Iran and Afghanistan, silversmiths, goldsmiths, potters, the whole range were found in the Sasanian culture and they did have an impact on Afghan cultural and artistic production.</p> <p>Trade flowed freely, and so, too, was this a period a wellspring of new beliefs in the Hindu Kush region. Mithraism, which was a religion that in many ways resembled Zoroastrianism, came to be.</p> <p>Zoroastrianism had become polluted and sort of corrupt. Mithraism was a reaction to that. It was part of the Sasanian heritage.&nbsp;To a certain extent, they de-emphasized the Buddhism that had been dominant during the Kushan period. You have a kind of amalgamation during the Sasanian period of those religious traditions.</p> <p>The artistic and cultural influences left by the Sasanid Empire would last for hundreds of years to come, but the forthcoming Muslim conquests would also have a lasting impact on the Persian world.</p>

Kushan Fusion

description: 
<p>Nomads adapted elements of Greek and Indian culture to create a hybrid society of their own.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-kushan.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/120.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-kushan.png
Era: 
Age of Empire
Theme: 
Identity &amp; Perception
Traces &amp; Narratives
Year: 
120
BCE/CE: 
CE
Date Period: 
CE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
Greek and Indian styles fused to create a hybrid style.
More Information: 
<p>&quot;The Buddha, Made in Gandhara.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://tinyurl.com/2bjzeeo. <br /> &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>&quot;The Buddha, Made in Gandhara.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://tinyurl.com/36x78rj. <br /> &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p><em>Buddhist Relics</em>, Kabul. National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>65-M-62</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>65-M-78</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>70-76a</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>A73-45.</em> Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>A73-53</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Faravahar at Persepolis. Persepolis, Iran.</p> <p>&quot;Figure, Made in Gandhara.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=223661&amp;partId=1. <br /> &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>&quot;Gandhara Buddha.&quot; Digital image. Wik.</p> <p>&quot;Kanishka Coin.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=3143230&amp;partId=1. <br /> &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>&quot;Kushan Empire (ca. 2nd Century B.C. 3rd Century A.D.).&quot; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metmuseum.org. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kush/hd_kush.htm.</p> <p>&quot;Kushans.&quot; Afghanan.Net. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.afghanan.net/afghanistan/kushans.htm.</p> <p>&quot;Miscellaneous Buddhist Sculpture Fragments from Nullah, Sanghao, Peshawar District, 1883.&quot; Digital image. British Library. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/m/019pho000001003u01125000.html.</p> <p><em>Photograph by Henry Hardy Cole</em>, courtesy of the British Library Board</p> <p>Nguyen, Marie-Lan. &quot;Athena of the Parthenos Athena Type.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Athena_Parthenos_Altemps_Inv8622.jpg.</p> <p>Nguyen, Marie-Lan. &quot;Head of Apollo.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_Palatino_Inv12456.jpg.</p> <p>PHG. &quot;Buddha-Footprint.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buddha-Footprint.jpeg.</p> <p>PHG. &quot;SeatedBuddha.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SeatedBuddha.jpg.</p> <p>Tokyo National Museum. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en</p> <p>PHG. &quot;TangBodhisattva.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TangBodhisattva.JPG.</p> <p>&quot;Seated Buddha.&quot; Digital image. Virtual Collection of Masterpieces. http://masterpieces.asemus.museum/masterpieces.aspx.</p> <p>Mus&eacute;e National des Arts Asiatiques Guimet. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/</p> <p>UNESCO/Manoocher/Webistan. &quot;Kabul Museum - Statue Restoration.&quot; Digital image. UNESCO. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://photobank.unesco.org.</p> <p>Ustad Awalmir. <em>Esta De Qasam Wi</em>. Radio-Television Afghanistan Archive.&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Virtual Art Exhibit - Kushans.&quot; University of Washington's Silk Road Exhibit.&quot; Accessed August 21, 2010. http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/exhibit/kushans/kushans.html.</p> <p>World Imaging. &quot;Buddha-Vajrapani-Herakles.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Buddha-Vajrapani-Herakles.JPG. <br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en</p> <p>World Imaging. &quot;Gandhara Buddha.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gandhara_Buddha_%28tnm%29.jpeg.</p> <p>World Imaging. &quot;Kushan &quot;Buddo&quot; Coin.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 21, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KanishkaI.jpg. <br /> GNU license: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License CC license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Kate Harding</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>The area known today as Afghanistan had flourished with trade and riches during the Greco-Bactrian empire. But its rich, urban settlements were continually under threat from nomads.</p> <p>By the first century, these nomads consolidated their power and established the Kushan Empire.</p> <p>That empire would make a profound decision, and that decision would revolutionize all of Asia.</p> <p>The Kushan people who moved into Afghanistan in the 1st century AD &hellip; were originally a nomadic group found in Central Asia around the Ferghana Valley in central Asia then moved into Afghanistan. They brought with them a renewed love and adoration of Buddhism&hellip;</p> <p>In the earliest days of Buddhism, the Buddha was only depicted through symbols such as wheels or footprints. But as Buddhism spread, more people believed that the Buddha&rsquo;s miraculous life should be narrated using a human form.</p> <p>In the year 130, the Kushan King, Kanishka, held a grand council to decide whether or not this new art should be permitted. He decided to officially sanction it, giving rise to a tradition of Buddhist art that has lasted almost 2,000 years.</p> <p>The Kushans turned to the sculptors throughout their kingdom. These sculptors had been trained in the Greek tradition because of the previous Greco empires that had ruled the area.</p> <p>They had learned the art of stonecutting, figuremaking, and drapery. And they set to work using this Greek style to produce Buddhist statues.</p> <p>The statues are essentially made by Greek trained artisans. So when we look at these statues of the Buddha they look an awful lot like Apollo the Orator. They look like Greek gods. Why? Because they were made by the specialist in religious sculpture and given Buddhist robes, given Buddhist insignias.</p> <p>The art flourished, and was especially concentrated in a region known at the time as Gandhara &ndash; an area that straddled what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan.</p> <p>One would think that Buddhist art would reflect Buddhist figures and Buddhist decorative motifs but in fact, Gandharan art is really very similar to Greek art. The depictions of costumes, drapery, even the figures themselves are derived from Greek civilization.</p> <p>The art of the Kushans stirred a revolution across Asia and figurines erupted all across the continent, spreading to China, Japan, and Korea.</p> <p>Everywhere the style went, it merged with local traditions. Buddhist figurines were soon characterized by a fusion of Asian and Greek influences.</p> <p>But the greatest Kushan achievement would be the Buddhas of Bamiyan &ndash; the colossal statues that announced the Kushan&rsquo;s might to all who traveled along the Silk Road.</p> <p>But the Kushans were not only Buddhists. They were also patrons of Zoroastrianism and they saw no reason why both religions could not coexist within their empire.</p> <p>There was no discrimination against either religion. The result was a fusion society during this time as well, not just in the arts but in general.</p> <p>The Kushans had learned to fuse differences together instead of driving them apart.&nbsp;</p>

A Greek City in Asia

description: 
<p>While on a hunting trip in the 1960s, the king of Afghanistan came across an extraordinary find: an ancient Greek city in Afghanistan.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-aikhanoum.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era2/200_2.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-aikhanoum.png
Era: 
Age of Empire
Theme: 
Identity &amp; Perception
Traces &amp; Narratives
Year: 
200
BCE/CE: 
BCE
Date Period: 
BCE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
The ancient city of Ai-Khanoum, a Greek city in Afghanistan.
More Information: 
<p><em>1209-32</em>. AMRC Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p><em>Alexander Mosaic</em>. Naples National Archaeological Museum.</p> <p>Barrison, Harvey. <u>Temple of Zeus at Olympia</u>. July 6, 2009. Athens. Accessed October 9, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hbarrison/3857766654/. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>&quot;Costume-fitting.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=434391&amp;partId=1. <br /> &copy; Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>Citadel Residence, Ai Khanoum</em>. 1975. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>Kushan Sculpture Found at Lulu Tepe</em>. 1959. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>Members of the Conference at the Administrative Quarters</em>. 1970. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>Pseudo-Corinthian Capital from the Administrative Quarters</em>. 1970. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>Temple outside East Wall</em>. 1975. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>Temple within the Walls of Ai-Khanoum</em>. 1970. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy.<em> The Bases in the Hall of the Administrative Quarters, Ai-Khanoum</em>. 1970. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>PHGCOM. &quot;HeraklesStatuette.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HeraklesStatuette.jpg.</p> <p>&quot;Sculpture of an Old Man, Ai Khanoum.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Philosopher2.JPG.</p> <p>&quot;Seleuco I Nicatore.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seleuco_I_Nicatore.JPG. <br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/it/deed.en</p> <p>World Imaging. &quot;AiKhanoumPlateSharp.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AiKhanoumPlateSharp.jpg.</p> <p>World Imaging. &quot;GorgoyleSharp.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GorgoyleSharp.jpg.</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Kate Harding</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>In 1961, the King of Afghanistan went on hunting expedition in the northeast province of Kunduz. During the trip he was shown a Corinthian capital. He recognized the ornate style as being similar to the capitals that topped columns in ancient Greece. This would lead to the discovery of an entire forgotten city</p> <p>After the King&rsquo;s discovery, a French team of archaeologists began to excavate the area. What they unearthed was the best-preserved Greek city in all of Asia. Known as Ai-Khanoum, the city&rsquo;s plan was practically a carbon copy of settlements in the Mediterranean.</p> <p>It is basically a site that has an acropolis similar to the acropolis in Athens. It has markets that are similar to the markets found in traditional Greek civilization. It shows the dramatic influence of the Greek culture on Afghanistan during this time.</p> <p>The site also included a gymnasium, a theatre, a fountain &ndash; all modeled in the Greek style, as well as a library full of Greek texts.</p> <p>When Alexander the Great conquered the area now known as Afghanistan in 330 BCE, he initiated a melding of cultures and ideas. When he died, one of his Macedonian officers, Seleucus, conquered the eastern edge of the empire and founded the city of Ai-Khanoum. Seleucus created a Greek metropolis in the heart of Central Asia.</p> <p>The Greek influence fused with Central Asian traditions and inspired new levels of cultural and artistic fusion.<br /> ROSSABI 037: Ai-Khanoum was a real hybrid. It wasn&rsquo;t just a Greek settlement although there were Greek features&hellip;.It was truly integrated with local culture, the local monuments, and the local style of life.</p> <p>In 145 BCE, Ai Khanoum was invaded by nomadic people of the northern steppes. Evidence suggests that it was completely abandoned.</p> <p>When it was rediscovered in the 1960s, the archaeology community was aflutter with excitement. For centuries, experts had speculated about Greek influence in Central Asia, but no eastern settlements had been discovered in tact. The discovery put to rest rumors that the Greek influence in Asia was merely a mirage.</p> <p>But the victory was short-lived. At the onset of the Russian invasion in 1979, Ai Khanoum was looted and used as a battleground.</p> <p>Nonetheless, several important pieces survived, providing an outstanding glimpse into the cultural fusion that has continually arisen in Central Asia.&nbsp;</p>

The Silk Roads

description: 
<p>It was the locals who could navigate the treacherous mountains and deserts that connected China to Rome&mdash;and beyond.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-silkroads.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era2/300.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-silkroads.png
Era: 
Age of Empire
Theme: 
Geography &amp; Destiny
Traces &amp; Narratives
Year: 
300
BCE/CE: 
BCE
Date Period: 
CE
Asset Type: 
Historical
Caption: 
The Silk Roads produced a melting pot of traditions.
More Information: 
<p>Andr&eacute;. &quot;WLANL - Andrevanb - Kist Uit De 27- 31e Dynastie (4).&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WLANL_-_andrevanb_-_kist_uit_de_27-_31e_dynastie_%284%29.jpg. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p><em>Cloth of Gold with Rabbit Wheels</em>. 1225-1250 CE. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH. &copy; Cleveland Museum of Art</p> <p>Drs2biz. &quot;Silk from Mawangdui.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silk_from_Mawangdui.jpg.<br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Drs2biz. &quot;Western Han Soldiers.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Han_soldiers_3.jpg. Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>61-321c.</em> Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>A69-491</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA. &quot;Early Sasanian Plate.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://bit.ly/bHa4ul<br /> &copy; Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p><em>Han Dynasty Horses</em>, Wall Painting. 2nd C. CE. Helingol, Inner Mongolia.</p> <p>Hsuan, Chang. <em>Women Processing New Silk</em>. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA.</p> <p><em>Jar with Two Handles</em>. 50-75 AD. Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York.</p> <p>&quot;Muxaworek Mukam.&quot; In <em>Instrumental Music Of The Uighurs</em>. King Record, 1991, CD.</p> <p>&quot;PazyrikHorseman.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PazyrikHorseman.JPG.</p> <p>PericlesofAthens. &quot;Bronze Horse with Lead Saddle, Han Dynasty.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_horse_with_lead_saddle,_Han_Dynasty.jpg. <br /> GNU Free Documentation license: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License</p> <p>Pericles of Athens. &quot;Chinese Silk, 4th Century BC.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_silk,_4th_Century_BC.JPG.</p> <p><em>Photograph of Tomb Wall Painting Featuring a Khitan Horseman and His Steed</em>. Inner Mongolian Museum, Hohhot.</p> <p>Thomson, W. M. &quot;Silkworm Cocoon Purchasing in Antioch, 1886.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silkworm_Cocoon_purchasing_in_Antioch.jpg.</p> <p>&quot;Urumqi Warrior.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UrumqiWarrior.jpg.</p> <p>Vassil. <em>Roman Glass</em>, Found in Afghanistan.</p> <p>&quot;Woven Silk, Syria, 780-900 AD.&quot; Digital image. Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O93132/woven-silk/.</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Grace Norman</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>A piece of silk adorned the hair of a mummified Egyptian. She was a noble woman who lived some 3,000 years ago.</p> <p>Silk had its secrets. It&rsquo;s believed that no one outside of China knew how to create silk. Did the silk come from China? How did it get to Africa?</p> <p>Archaeologists, historians, and linguists believe that humans on the vast Eurasian continent had traded for millennia, but little is known about their connections. &nbsp;For the first time, around the third century BCE, significant historical evidence showed that there was an intercontinental highway that linked the Roman, Persian, and Chinese empires&mdash;and by extension throughout the Mediterranean and into Africa. Soldiers, traders and monks&mdash;along with their goods and ideas&mdash;passed through deserts, plains, and the mighty Hindu Kush mountain passes.</p> <p>Although there had been trade before the 2nd century BCE, the Silk Road trade really originated in that time period. &nbsp;</p> <p>And these road would flourish because of a particular interest the Chinese began to develop in other parts of the world. &nbsp;</p> <p>It originated as a result of the travels of a Chinese ambassador to central Asia who brought back reports of spectacular horses in central Asia, one of the few products that the Chinese needed while simultaneously providing silk to the central Asian rulers.</p> <p>But the Silk Road trade was not just for Emperors and Shahs.</p> <p>The Silk Road trade is somewhat of a misnomer because there were lots of other products that were sent across Eurasia, one of them being Roman glass around the 3rd century BCE. &nbsp;</p> <p>Silver artifacts from Iran were also part of the trade that went back and forth. Herbs, spices, the idea of the grape and the walnut, all of those came from Iran to China.</p> <p>But these routes were for more than just the simple exchange of goods. &nbsp;</p> <p>Nobody absolutely needed silk or glass or anything of the sort. Much more important was the Silk Road brought cultures in touch with each other and resulted in a great deal of cultural and artistic diffusion. &nbsp;</p> <p>To understand society and prosperity in Central Asia, one could look to the great cities at either end of the trade routes. &nbsp;</p> <p>For the Silk Road trade to be sustained, there were two major civilizations that had to be at their height: China and Persia. If either one of those civilizations declined, then the Silk Road trade dwindled in large part because the two civilizations could protect the caravans as they were going across Asia.</p> <p>The Silk Road trade could also not have survived without the intermediaries, people in central Asia and Afghanistan who transported the goods, who acted as brokers for these products, and who knew the routes across these treacherous domains. Some of the most daunting desserts in the world had to be traversed. Some of the loftiest mountains in the world had to be traversed. It was precisely the nomadic pastoral peoples and the settled peoples of Afghanistan in central Asia who knew those routes and who facilitated travels across Eurasia. &nbsp;</p> <p>Throughout the centuries, travelers created a web of caravan tracks through the Eurasian continent, weaving together different traditions to form a rich tapestry across the Hindu Kush region.</p>

Empire Strikes Back

description: 
<p>The Greek world carried its influence deep into Asia. Now, the Seleucid Empire strikes back.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-seleucid.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era2/323.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-seleucid.png
Era: 
Age of Empire
Theme: 
Geography &amp; Destiny
Traces &amp; Narratives
Year: 
323
BCE/CE: 
BCE
Date Period: 
BCE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
sample caption
More Information: 
<p>Bo-deh. &quot;Apamea Cardo Maximus.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apamea_Cardo_Maximus.jpg. Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en</p> <p>Ghorab Shirsokhta. &quot;Untitled Song.&quot; Recorded November 8, 1966.&nbsp;Hiromi Lorraine Sakata, 1966.</p> <p>Loeff, Patrik M. &quot;Indien: Sanchi.&quot; Digital image. Patrikmloeff's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bupia/2276914716/. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>&quot;MauryanCoin.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MauryanCoin.JPG.</p> <p>Mus&eacute;e Guimet. <em>Gymnasiarch Strato</em>. National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul.</p> <p>PHGCOM. &quot;SeleucosCoin.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SeleucosCoin.jpg.</p> <p>Shirsokhta, &nbsp;&quot;Untitled Song.&quot; Recorded November 8, 1966.&nbsp;Hiromi Lorraine Sakata, 1966.</p> <p>Stellmach, Thomas. &quot;Apamea Excursion 29.&quot; Digital image. Tom$'s Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dysturb/2192145131/. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Stellmach, Thomas. &quot;Apamea Excursion 33.&quot; Digital image. Tom$'s Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dysturb/2192936992/. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Stellmach, Thomas. &quot;Apamea Excursion 50.&quot; Digital image. Tom$'s Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dysturb/2192940768/. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Strabo. &quot;A Rubbing of Strabo's Geographica.&quot; Digital image. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://www.payer.de/quellenkunde/quellen1104.htm.</p> <p>&quot;Strabo.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strabo.jpg.</p> <p>Strabo. &quot;Map of the World by Strabo.&quot; Digital image. Accessed August 20, 2010. http://www.summagallicana.it/lessico/s/Strabone.htm.</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Grace Norman</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>After Alexander the Great&rsquo;s demise, there was an epic power struggle over Alexander&rsquo;s dominion. Seleucus, a brilliant but pitiless military general, exerted control over the massive Eastern portion of Alexander&rsquo;s territory. The empire he founded became known as the Seleucid empire.</p> <p>Throughout Seleucid reign,&nbsp;Persian culture continued to mingle with Greek traditions.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Seleucid culture&nbsp;had an impact on Afghanistan.&nbsp;They did play a role in reinforcing Iranian culture in the country.</p> <p>The Greek historian Strabo wrote an encyclopedia called&nbsp;<em>Geographica</em>, which suggested Seleucusused his Eastern assets to conquer lands Westward.</p> <p>Strabo wrote: &ldquo;Alexander [...] established &hellip; settlements of his own [in the Indus Valley], but Seleucus&nbsp;gave them [away]&nbsp;in consequence of a marriage contract, and received in return 500 elephants.</p> <p>The story goes that Seleucus offered a young Indian king the hand of his own daughter in marriage.&nbsp;In return the Indian king gave Seleucus 500 elephants from his reported 9,000-strong elephant army.The 500 elephants later went on to win a critical battle for the Seleucid Empire&nbsp;that eventually allowed them to capture lands that include what is now Turkey, through the Middle East, and beyond.</p> <p>Just as Alexander&rsquo;s army had conquered vast lands from Macedonia, east to Central Asia, Seleucus and his descendents swept his armies from what is today Afghanistan&nbsp;back towards the west and clear to the Aegean Sea.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

The King of Kings

description: 
<p>The Persian Achaemenid Empire was the greatest empire of the ancient world.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-achaemenid.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era1/500.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-achaemenid.png
Era: 
Age of Settlement
Theme: 
Traces &amp; Narratives
Year: 
500
BCE/CE: 
BCE
Date Period: 
BCE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
Persepolis was the seat of power then--and one of the greatest monuments in the world today.
More Information: 
<p>Abbott, Jacob. <em>Cyrus the Great</em>. New York: Harper &amp; Brothers Publishers, 1902.<i><br /> </i></p> <p>&quot;Dastgah-e Mahur: Tasnif &quot;Mahd-e Honar&quot;&quot; Recorded April 15, 1989. In <i>Music of Iran I</i>. King Record, 1989, CD.</p> <p>De Corselas, Manuel Parada L&oacute;pez. &quot;Ars Summum Tesoro Oxus Brazalete.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 19, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ars_Summum_Tesoro_Oxus_brazalete.JPG.</p> <p>Dynamosquito. &quot;Immortels.&quot; Digital image. Dynamosquito's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 19, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dynamosquito/4489670087/. <br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Dynamosquito. &quot;Roaring.&quot; Digital image. Dynamosquito's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 18, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dynamosquito/2803214122/.</p> <p>&quot;Herodotus, Historiae.&quot; Digital image. Wyoming_Jackrabbit's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 18, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wy_jackrabbit/4339298688/. <br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Marsyas. <i>Bust of Herodotus</i>. December 23, 2005. Stoa of Attalus, Athens. Accessed August 10, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AGMA_H%C3%A9rodote.jpg.<br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en</p> <p>Nickmard. &quot;Persepolis.&quot; Digital image. Nickmard's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 19, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickmard/2591671132/. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Nickmard. &quot;Plaque of Lapis Lazuli.&quot; Digital image. Nickmard's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 19, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickmard/2401982712/. <br /> Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Nikopol. &quot;Persepolis Stairs of the Apadana Relief.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 19, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Persepolis_stairs_of_the_Apadana_relief.jpg. <br /> GNU Free Documentation License: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License</p> <p>Oedipus and the Sphynx, Museo Gregoriano Etrusco Vaticano. Photographer and date unknown.</p> <p>&quot;Pers&eacute;polis. La Garde.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 18, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pers%C3%A9polis._La_Garde.jpg. GNU Free Documentation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License</p> <p>Unknown. &quot;Painting of Rama.&quot; Digital image. British Museum. Accessed August 18, 2010. http://tinyurl.com/2flquld. <br /> &copy; Trustees of the British Museum</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Grace Norman</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>Herodotus, the 6th century BCE Greek historian, recounted the story of Cyrus, the founder of the Achaemenid Dynasty.</p> <p>Like Oedipus in the Greek tradition, and Rama in the Hindu tradition, the story is of a prediction, a banishment, and a glorious return of a King to his rightful place on the throne.</p> <p>According to Herodotus, Cyrus&rsquo; grandfather was the King&nbsp;of the powerful Median Empire. One night, the King had a dream that his&nbsp;grandson would eventually overthrow him.</p> <p>In an insecure rage, the King ordered a servant&nbsp;to kill the newly born baby.&nbsp;The servant, unable to carry out the task himself, asked a bandit to take the baby deep into the woods and to abandon him.&nbsp;But the baby Cyrus was found alive by a herder. The herder brought the baby to his wife, and they raised the child as their own.</p> <p>When Cyrus was ten years old, word spread that the child living in the woods was far too noble to be the child of a simple herdsman, and rumors circulated that the royal kin was still alive.&nbsp;The King summoned the boy&ndash;and noticed a distinct resemblance to himself.&nbsp;The King ordered his servant to explain what he had done with the baby. The servant confessed he gave the baby to bandits and did not kill the infant.</p> <p>This time the King spared Cyrus, and Cyrus went on to found a Persian empire, known as the Achaemenids. The Achaemenid Empire became the largest empire the world had ever seen.</p> <p>The Achaemenids were&nbsp;also the first great empire that dominated Afghanistan.</p> <p>They, of course, had&nbsp;their own great culture based in Persepolis, in Iran. One of the great architectural monuments in the world at the present time. They influenced Afghanistan for the first time, in a strictly Iranian manner, which is basically one of the foundations of modern Afghan Civilization.</p> <p>An Achaemenid King once&nbsp;boasted of the Empire&rsquo;s influence while describing the construction of Persepolis: He described gold and lapis from Central Asia, silver and ebony from Ethiopia. The metalsmiths were Medes and the brickmakers, Babylonians. The rich variety of materials and artisans came together to create a hybrid style that very much reflected the Empire in general.&nbsp;</p> <p>The rulers learned that&nbsp;exerting control over a greater region meant greater taxation, resources, and ultimately, greater wealth. There were political advantages, too.</p> <p>The Achaemenids entered into Afghanistan in large part to control a buffer zone.&nbsp;The fear was people from central Asia or other regions might encroach upon Iran. To have a buffer zone between them was critical.</p> <p>And what did that mean for the early ancestors of Afghans?</p> <p>The Achaemenids did have an influence, but they allowed a great deal of local autonomy. The government that was based in Iran, allowed the local people considerable independence as long as they provided tribute and taxation.&nbsp;On a governmental level, there was no significant influence by the Achaemendis on Afghanistan during that time.&nbsp;Moreover, the Achaemenids themselves were beset by dynastic struggles and conflicts, so that they couldn&rsquo;t pay as much attention to Afghanistan as they would have wanted.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

The Mighty Hindu Kush

description: 
<p>The region's mountains are some of the most treacherous on earth&mdash;but its passes are something that great empires the world over had wanted to control.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-hindukush_0.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era1/600.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-hindukush_0.png
Era: 
Age of Settlement
Theme: 
Geography &amp; Destiny
Year: 
600
BCE/CE: 
BCE
Date Period: 
BCE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
A fortuitous location?
More Information: 
<p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>50-39</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>50-44</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>61-114-C</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>61-339</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Dupree, Nancy. <em>A76-1162</em>. Dupree Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>&quot;The Hindu Kush and Passes between the Kabul and Oxus.&quot; Map. In Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division. http://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division</p> <p><em>Horse_caravan</em>. AMRC Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p><em>L-C-00349-09</em>. AMRC Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p><em>Q2-01277-35</em>. AMRC Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p><em>Q2-01284-13</em>. AMRC Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p>Rukhshana. &quot;Destergo Tor Janan (Fulkalor).&quot; &copy; Radio-Television Afghanistan Archive.</p> <p>Rattray, James. &quot;Fortress of Alimusjid, and the Khybur Pass.&quot; 1847. Lithograph. British Library. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019xzz000000562u00013000.html.</p> <p><em>Sl-04715</em>. AMRC Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <p><em>Sl-04946</em>. AMRC Collection, Williams Afghan Media Project, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA.</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Alexis Menten</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>Although the land of Afghanistan can be harsh &ndash; for farmers, herders, travelers, and conquerors alike &ndash; in many ways Afghanistan is in a fortuitous location.</p> <p>If we look at a map of Afghanistan one of the things that&rsquo;s most striking about the country is the central mountain region which consists of quite a number of mountain ranges. But the predominant one is the Hindu Kush.</p> <p>And it really sets the parameters for Afghanistan because the snowfall, the snow pack, of the Hindu Kush is what provides irrigation water and river water and sets the geographical parameters of the country.</p> <p>Most of the trade routes went through Afghanistan. That&rsquo;s what made it important rather than any specific item derived from Afghanistan [&hellip;]<br /> The trade routes in Afghanistan were based in part on topography [...] but it&rsquo;s also based upon water. The rivers of Afghanistan were the locations of the major oases, and towns, and settlements, and many trade routes would follow that pattern of rivers.<br /> The four major cities or regions of Afghanistan [&hellip;] are located in the specific areas where they&rsquo;re found because the Hindu Kush dominates the central part of the country.</p> <p>The important thing about mountains to realize is that the people who live there may be isolated politically and economically but because they lie in a transit region what we find is that they are exposed to new ideas, to trade, to political connections that in other parts of the world they might not encounter. And this is not because the regions themselves are particularly important but because the routes through them are particularly important.<br /> So [&hellip;] particularly through Central Afghanistan and Bamyan or in the Pamirs what we found is Silk Route caravans of quite ancient date passing through these territories bringing very, very high valuable goods.</p> <p>Not because they were going to necessarily sell them there. They weren&rsquo;t. But as long as they&rsquo;re passing through these people are bringing money, they&rsquo;re bringing ideas, they&rsquo;re bringing news.</p> <p>For example, the famous Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan - which has been the path of migrations, trade, and armies for centuries - remains an important route through the region even today.Although the land of Afghanistan can be harsh &ndash; for farmers, herders, travelers, and conquerors alike &ndash; in many ways Afghanistan is in a fortuitous location.</p> <p>If we look at a map of Afghanistan one of the things that&rsquo;s most striking about the country is the central mountain region which consists of quite a number of mountain ranges. But the predominant one is the Hindu Kush.</p> <p>And it really sets the parameters for Afghanistan because the snowfall, the snow pack, of the Hindu Kush is what provides irrigation water and river water and sets the geographical parameters of the country.</p> <p>Most of the trade routes went through Afghanistan. That&rsquo;s what made it important rather than any specific item derived from Afghanistan [&hellip;]<br /> The trade routes in Afghanistan were based in part on topography [...] but it&rsquo;s also based upon water. The rivers of Afghanistan were the locations of the major oases, and towns, and settlements, and many trade routes would follow that pattern of rivers.</p> <p>The four major cities or regions of Afghanistan [&hellip;] are located in the specific areas where they&rsquo;re found because the Hindu Kush dominates the central part of the country.</p> <p>The important thing about mountains to realize is that the people who live there may be isolated politically and economically but because they lie in a transit region what we find is that they are exposed to new ideas, to trade, to political connections that in other parts of the world they might not encounter. And this is not because the regions themselves are particularly important but because the routes through them are particularly important.<br /> So [&hellip;] particularly through Central Afghanistan and Bamyan or in the Pamirs what we found is Silk Route caravans of quite ancient date passing through these territories bringing very, very high valuable goods.</p> <p>Not because they were going to necessarily sell them there. They weren&rsquo;t. But as long as they&rsquo;re passing through these people are bringing money, they&rsquo;re bringing ideas, they&rsquo;re bringing news.</p> <p>For example, the famous Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan - which has been the path of migrations, trade, and armies for centuries - remains an important route through the region even today.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Nomads Bearing Gold

description: 
<p>Tales of nomadic warriors bearing gold entered into the annals of history&mdash;in Greek.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-scythians.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era1/700.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-scythians.png
Era: 
Age of Settlement
Theme: 
Identity &amp; Perception
Traces &amp; Narratives
Tradition &amp; Modernization
Year: 
700
BCE/CE: 
BCE
Date Period: 
BCE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
Out of the dust of the bronze age collapse emerged Gold!
More Information: 
<p>Barefact. &quot;SamaraKurganR2.&quot; Digital image. <em>Wikipedia Commons</em>. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SamaraKurganR2.jpg.&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Bead.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=367604&amp;partId=1. <br /> &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>&quot;Belt.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=367637&amp;partId=1. <br /> &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>Carole a. &quot;Steppe of Western Kazakhstan in the Early Spring.&quot; Digital image. <em>Wikipedia Commons</em>. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Steppe_of_western_Kazakhstan_in_the_early_spring.jpg. GNU Free Documentation License: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License</p> <p>&quot;Costume-fitting.&quot; Digital image. The British Museum. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=434391&amp;partId=1. <br /> &copy; The Trustees of the British Museum</p> <p>&quot;Plaque with Scythian Warriors.&quot; Digital image. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.hermitagemuseum.org. <br /> &copy; The State Hermitage Museum</p> <p>Qeran, Baba, performer. <em>Naghne Danbora</em>. Lorraine Sakata, 1967. <br /> &copy; Radio-Television Afghanistan Archives.</p> <p>&quot;Scythian Belt Plaque.&quot; Digital image. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Accessed August 11, 2010. www.hermitagemuseum.org. <br /> &copy; The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg</p> <p>&quot;Scythian Plaque.&quot; Digital image. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.hermitagemuseum.org. <br /> &copy; The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg</p> <p>&quot;Scythian Throne Arm.&quot; Digital image. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.hermitagemuseum.org. <br /> &copy; The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg</p> <p>&quot;Vessel with Handle in Shape of Elk.&quot; Digital image. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.hermitagemuseum.org. <br /> &copy; The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg</p> <p>Wyoming_Jackrabbit. &quot;Herodotus, Historiae.&quot; Digital image. Wyoming_Jackrabbit's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wy_jackrabbit/4339298688/. Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Alexis Menten</p>
Video Transcript: 
<p>Out of the dark age caused by the collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations, including the Oxus Civilization, groups of nomadic warriors from the north conquered Persia and the lands of Afghanistan. &nbsp;</p> <p>The Scythians were a pastoral nomadic group that originated in Eastern Central Asia, and were the first of a wave of migrations, that spread all the way from Eastern Central Asia to Europe. The Huns, for example, were part of that migration. The Scythian were pastoral nomads who moved depending on grass and water for their animals.</p> <p>The greatest Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the Scythians, and in some ways, were quite impressed by their culture. He is one of the few sources available on the Scythians, and was much captivated by the spectacular gold objects that they produced or served as patrons for.</p> <p>The art of the Scythians provides a window into their culture&mdash;the things they saw every day, and the things they valued. &nbsp;The Scythians produced spectacular gold objects, which were often in the animal-style art of the pastoral nomadic people. They buried these objects often with important leaders in in so-called quorgons, or underground tombs.&nbsp;Many of these have now been discovered in Russian, and the Ukraine, so we have an idea of the high level of craftsmanship that developed among these people, and know something about their culture because of the depiction they made.&nbsp;</p> <p>Another important nomadic group during this time were the Medes, also noted by Herodotus. Due to their skill in battle, by 600 BCE the Medes had conquered the lands stretching from the Black Sea to Afghanistan. &nbsp;The Medes are an offshoot of the Scythian peoples who migrated across Asia during the period of about 700-350 BCE. The Medes were like the Scythian: nomadic pastorialists, who came in and overwhelmed the settlements that already existed in Afghanistan, some of which derived from the Indo-Iranian invasions of the second millennium BCE.</p> <p>Like the Scythian, they wandered around. They migrated from place to place, but also very appreciative of beauty in specific objects, and contributed to artisanship in Afghanistan.</p>

Zoroastrianism

description: 
<p>An early monotheistic religion focused on the struggle between good and evil. It paved the path for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.</p>
Asset Media
Media Type: 
Video
Video Still: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/still-zoroaster.png
Video URL: 
http://media.asiasociety.org/education/afghanistan/era1/1000.mp4
Video Thumbnail: 
http://cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/sites/cms.afghanistan.asiasociety.org/files/thumb-zoroaster.png
Era: 
Age of Settlement
Theme: 
Identity &amp; Perception
Year: 
1000
BCE/CE: 
BCE
Date Period: 
BCE
Asset Type: 
Trend
Caption: 
Zoroastrianism was a potent force.
More Information: 
<p>Bielec, Maciek. &quot;Good vs. Evil.&quot; Digital image. Maciek Bielec's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/aspoleczny/4534043730/. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Greene, Daniel. &quot;Venus &amp; Waxing Crescent Moon.&quot; Digital image. Daniel Greene's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielgreene/505405957/. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Johnson, Chad. &quot;Storm Clouds.&quot; Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Storm_clouds.jpg. Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Mohammed, Yar, and Baz Mohammed, performers. Field Recordings: Hiromi Lorraine Sakata. Sakata Music Collection, 1966.</p> <p>Roodiparse. &quot;Farvahar001.&quot; Digital image. <em>Wikipedia Commons</em>. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Farvahar001.JPG.</p> <p>Sadeghi, Hamid. &quot;Iranian Zoroastrians Celebrate Ancient Feast of Sadeh (creation of Fire).&quot; Digital image. Payvand. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://payvand.com/news/08/feb/1002.html.</p> <p>Westervelt, Matt. &quot;Eclipse.&quot; Digital image. Matt Westervelt's Flickr Photostream. Accessed August 11, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattw/1256451683/. <br /> Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en</p> <p>Zoroaster Clavis Artis. Http://www.alchemywebsite.com/virtual_museum/forms_of_usage.html. Public Domain</p> <p>Zoroastrian Prayer, the Ashem Vohu. British Library Board, London.</p> <hr /> <p>Producer: Alexis Menten</p>
Video Transcript: 
<blockquote>&ldquo;Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves in vision as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action. And between these two the wise ones chose aright, the foolish not so.&rdquo; &ndash;From the Avesta, the holy text of Zoroastrianism</blockquote> <p>Zoroastrianism was one of the earliest monotheistic religions to be found in Afghanistan.</p> <p>Zoroaster was a priest of the Zoroastrian religion, which involved a duality&ndash;a struggle&ndash;between good and evil.</p> <p>People had the choice to either side with the good or to side with evil.</p> <p>The concept of free will, or choice, was new to religion at that time. Most ancient religions placed humans at the mercy of the gods &ndash; without any hope of changing the world. Zoroaster introduced the idea that humans had an ethical choice between bad and good.<br /> Hunsberger 004 on camera 02:07-02:10: Those are all the virtues of Zoroastrianism, and are built into the poetry and other literature that you see.</p> <p>The Avesta is the most important text in Zoroastrianism. It is a collection of hymns that were written, retold, and re-interpreted over hundreds of years. The Avesta describes how humans can choose good over evil through good thoughts, words, and deeds.&nbsp;</p> <p>Like any religion, Zoroastrianism changed over the centuries, during which water and fire became important symbols. Even today, Zoroastrians in Central Asia worship in fire temples and hold ceremonies in the presence of fire.</p> <p>Zoroastrianism remained a potent force in Afghanistan for centuries and there are residual elements of it today. The kind of duality that they brought in between good and evil, the monotheism that they practiced, did have an impact when Afghans started moving towards other monotheistic religions.</p> <p>In many ways, Zoroastrianism paved the way for the acceptance of other religions that centered around the worship of a single god--including Islam.</p> <p>&ldquo;Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves in vision as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action. And between these two the wise ones chose aright, the foolish not so.&rdquo; &ndash;From the Avesta, the holy text of Zoroastrianism</p> <p>Zoroastrianism was one of the earliest monotheistic religions to be found in Afghanistan. &nbsp;Zoroaster was a priest of the Zoroastrian religion, which involved a duality&ndash;a struggle&ndash;between good and evil. People had the choice to either side with the good or to side with evil.</p> <p>The concept of free will, or choice, was new to religion at that time. Most ancient religions placed humans at the mercy of the gods--without any hope of changing the world. Zoroaster introduced the idea that humans had an ethical choice between bad and good.</p> <p>Those are all the virtues of Zoroastrianism, and are built into the poetry and other literature that you see.</p> <p>The Avesta is the most important text in Zoroastrianism. It is a collection of hymns that were written, retold, and interpreted over hundreds of years. The Avesta describes how humans can choose good over evil through good thoughts, words, and deeds.</p> <p>Like any religion, Zoroastrianism changed over the centuries, during which water and fire became important symbols. Even today, Zoroastrians in Central Asia worship in fire temples and hold ceremonies in the presence of fire. &nbsp;</p> <p>Zoroastrianism remained a potent force in Afghanistan for centuries and there are residual elements of it today. The kind of duality that they brought in between good and evil, the monotheism that they practiced, did have an impact when Afghans started moving towards other monotheistic religions.</p> <p>In many ways, Zoroastrianism paved the way for the acceptance of other monotheistic religions that would later come to this region, including Islam.</p>
Syndicate content