Kushan Empire

E52143

The Kushan Empire was a powerful ancient Central Asian and South Asian empire (1st–3rd centuries CE) that controlled key segments of the Silk Road and fostered a cosmopolitan blend of Hellenistic, Persian, Indian, and Buddhist cultural influences.

All labels observed (7)

Label Occurrences
Kushan Empire canonical 49
Kushan period 12
Kushan dynasty 6

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (56)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Central Asian empire
South Asian empire
ancient state
historical empire
alternativeName Kushan Empire
surface form: Kushan Dynasty
capital Mathura
Purushapura
continent Asia
culture Buddhist influences
Hellenistic influences
Indian influences
Persian influences
currency bilingual coinage
copper coins
gold coins
endTime 3rd century CE
ethnicGroup Yuezhi
followedBy Gupta Empire
Sasanian Empire
follows Indo-Greek Kingdoms
Indo-Scythian Kingdoms
Yuezhi
surface form: Yuezhi tribal confederation
hasInfluenceOn Gandhara civilization
surface form: Gandharan art

Indian Ocean trade network
surface form: Indian Ocean trade

spread of Mahayana Buddhism
knownFor Gandhara civilization
surface form: Greco-Buddhist art

control of key Silk Road routes
cosmopolitan culture
patronage of Buddhism
syncretic religious iconography
languageUsed Bactrians
surface form: Bactrian

Gandhari Prakrit
Prakrit
locatedIn Central Asia
South Asia
notableEvent Fourth Buddhist Council (Kanishka)
reign of Kanishka I
partOf Silk Road routes
surface form: Silk Road regions
religion Buddhism
Greek religion
Hinduism
Zoroastrianism
local Iranian cults
ruler Huvishka
Kanishka I
Kujula Kadphises
Vasudeva I
Vima Kadphises
startTime 1st century CE
territoryIncludes Bactria
Gandhara civilization
surface form: Gandhara

northwestern Indian subcontinent
parts of Tarim Basin
writingSystem Brahmi script
Greek script
Kharoṣṭhī script
surface form: Kharosthi script

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (74)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Fourth Buddhist Council (Kanishka) heldUnderDynasty Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan dynasty
Vima Kadphises memberOf Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan dynasty
Vima Kadphises countryRuled Kushan Empire
Vima Kadphises era Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan era
Kanishka I memberOf Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan dynasty
Kanishka I countryRuled Kushan Empire
Kanishka I dynasty Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan
Indo-Scythian Kingdoms successor Kushan Empire
Indo-Scythian Kingdoms conflictWith Kushan Empire
Indian Buddhism hasHistoricalPeriod Kushan Empire
Takht-i-Bahi era Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan period
Sahr-i-Bahlol culturalPeriod Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan era
Sahr-i-Bahlol associatedEmpire Kushan Empire
Pushkalavati flourishedDuring Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan period
Bala Hisar (Charsadda) hasArchaeologicalPeriod Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan period
Shaikhan Dheri associatedWithPeriod Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan period
Hadda associatedWith Kushan Empire
Indo-Parthians successor Kushan Empire
Arachosia partOf Kushan Empire
Old Kandahar archaeological site significantPeriod Kushan Empire
this entity surface form: Kushan period