Tag: Buddhism

A Brief History of Buddhism

October 15, 2020 justin-david-hebert Asuka, Season 3, Yamato Comments Off on A Brief History of Buddhism
Season 3, Episode 8: A Brief History of Buddhism
Dharmarajika stupa near Taxila, Pakistan. Originally built circa 300 BCE, it displays a classic semi-hemispherical design typical of Indian stupas. Source: Sasha Isachenko / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Sanchi Stupa, dated to around 125 BCE, is the first known stupa to feature decorative reliefs. It is located in north-central India, in Madhya Pradesh. Source: Kevin Standage (kevinstandage1@googlemail.com) INDIAN TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)
The Indo-Greek Buddhists carved their temples out of nearby caves. These pillars mark the entrance to Cave 17 in the Nasik Caves. Source: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
A standing Buddha carved into the walls of Cave 17 of the Nasik Caves. Source: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Seated Buddha from the Indo-Greek Kingdom. Note that rather than a more asiatic-style robe, he wears a toga. Source: PHGCOM / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
A Statue of Athena recovered from the Indo-Greek Kingdom. Source: Uploadmo / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
The many statues of Longmen Grottoes in Henan, China, which began construction during the late 400s and continued, on and off, through the late 600s. As you can hopefully see from the presence of tourists, some of these statues are quite large! Source: WikiLaurent / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda of Xi’an, China. The original was built from rammed earth during the reign of Emperor Gaozong in 652 CE, but it collapsed after fifty years and was rebuilt during the reign of Empress Wu Zitan near the end of Japan’s Asuka Period. Source: Alex Kwok / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

East Asian Trade

August 17, 2020 justin-david-hebert Season 2, Yayoi Comments Off on East Asian Trade
Season 2, Episode 7: East Asian Trade
Knife Money, objectively the coolest form of legal tender ever created. These knives come from the Yan State. Source: PENG Yanan (Neo-Jay) / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
A map of the silk road, which connected the far east and the far west and encouraged trade and idea exchange. Source: Kelvin Case / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
A coin bearing the image of Roman Emperor Constantius II, found in the Xinjiang region of China. Public Domain.