Gandhara

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gandhara

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Gandhara?Peshawar and Swat valleys, extending to Kabul and Bagram
2. What is Gandhara known for?Central role in the spread of Buddhism to Central and East Asia
3. What is the primary script (3rd century BCE - 3rd century CE)?Kharosthi script, used for the Gāndhārī language
4. What is the artistic flourishing period?1st to 5th centuries CE under the Kushan Empire
5. What was Gandhara and where was it located?Gandhara was an ancient civilization in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, now in modern-day Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. It was famous for its art and for being a center of early Buddhism.
6. Why is Gandhara famous for its art?Gandhara's art is famous because it mixed Indian Buddhist styles with Greek art, creating the first realistic pictures of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas.

Syncretism: The merging of different, often opposing, religious or philosophical beliefs, practices, and cultures.
Hellenistic Period: The period following the conquests of Alexander the Great, characterized by the spread of Greek culture.