Kushan Empire Coin Pendant

In the middle of the 1st Century AD the Kushans, one of the tribes of the Yue-Chi of Central Asia (who had moved west from Mongolia after their failure against the Han Dynasty in China), settled in Gandhara, in the Indian subcontinent. During the Kushan Period, the region developed economically, socially and artistically. Probably the most well known remainder of the growth is the Gandharan style of Buddha painting and sculpture.

Blending Hellenistic and Indian influences, the style depicted Buddha in human form for the first time. The Kushans also developed extensive trade routes and relationships, with especially strong ties to Rome. Actual dates surrounding the Kushan Empire are murky. But following Kanishka, there were several more kings, and this coin was struck under Vasudeva II, somewhere between the mid-200’s and mid-300’s AD. At the time the Kushan Empire was waning under pressure applied by the Sassanids, until finally it ceased to exist.