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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.