Pax Kushana or Pax Kushanica (Latin for "Kushan Peace", modelled after Pax Romana) is a historiographical term sometimes used to describe the social and economic peace in the regions under the Kushan Empire between 2nd and 4th centuries AD, notably in the Indus Valley, Gandhara and parts of Central Asia.[1][2]
Background
editThis period was characterized by a high level of urbanization in the Indus Valley and Bactria, greater trade connections between the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia, and expansion of the arable land in the empire.[1] It also oversaw the flourishing of Gandharan Buddhism and transmission of Buddhism through the Silk Road to China.[3]
The Kushan Empire was located on the meeting points of the Sasanian and Parthian empires, Han China, and the various Indian kingdoms to the east. French historian Alain Daniélou states "For a time, the Kushana Empire was the centerpoint of the major civilizations".[4] The peace and prosperity brought by the Kushan Empire resulted in new styles of art and coinage, and strengthened the Indo-Roman trade links.
See also
edit- Pax Gupta, a period of relative peace in the succeeding Gupta Empire
References
edit- ^ a b Reden, Sitta von (2021-12-20). Handbook of Ancient Afro-Eurasian Economies: Volume 2: Local, Regional, and Imperial Economies. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-060493-1.
- ^ Darian, Steven G. (2001). The Ganges in Myth and History. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 94. ISBN 978-81-208-1757-9.
- ^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (2011-08-17). Dharma: Its Early History in Law, Religion, and Narrative. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 317. ISBN 978-0-19-539423-8.
- ^ Daniélou, Alain (2003). A Brief History of India. Simon and Schuster. p. 111. ISBN 9781594777943.