Arts & Culture
The Transmission of Buddhist Art Motifs Along the Silk Road
Quick fact
The first human images of the Buddha appeared in the Gandhara region (modern Pakistan/Afghanistan) in the 1st-3rd centuries CE, blending Greek realism with Indian symbolism.
Why this is interesting
A Greek-style god with a topknot and calm smile—how did a Greek god become the Buddha of Asia? Along the Silk Road, art motifs transformed as they traveled.