GREEK INFLUENCE ON THE CHINESE COINAGE

 

AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF ALEXANDER IN ASIA AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GREEK KINGDOMS, THE CHINESE CHANGED THE SHAPE OF THEIR COINS INTO THE GREEK STANDARD COIN, WHICH WAS THE INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY OF THAT ERA

THE GOLD ZEUS OF CHINA ~VIDEO

 

History of the contacts between the Greco-Bactrians and the Chinese

by Lucas Christopoulos

DEPICTIONS OF PEGASUS ~ GREEK INFLUENCE IN INNER MONGOLIA

 A pair of plaques of galloping horses with wings, bronze, 10 × 6.5 cm, excavated from Jalainur Cemetery, Inner Mongolia. From first to third century CE.

ZEUS, HERA , APHRODITE AND ATHENA DEPICTED IN BOWL FOUND IN INNER MONGOLIA, ~ CHINA

 

The Yihe-Nur Cemetery, excavated in 2012-2014,is important as the northernmost Northern Wei Dynasty (े兿) cemetery so far discovered in China, with artefacts indicating connections with peoples of 

the steppe and more broadly along the Eurasian “silk roads.“

One of the most striking artefacts of all those excavated in the cemetery, this bowl, found in Tomb M1, is 14 cm in diameter and stands 4 cm high. The inside is smooth and has no decoration. The outside is framed by a pearllike band, and most of the surface covered by acanthus leaves in low relief set off against a gilded background. Four projecting “bosses” depict characters from Greek religion: Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite and Athena.

SOURCE silkroadfoundation.org

HERACLES AND OMPHALE ON A GREEK SILVER ORNAMENT FOUND IN MONGOLIA

 

Ancient Greek silver artifact depicting Hercules and Omphale, discovered from the burial of a member of Xiongnu nobility during an excavation in 2006, in Mongolia. The original artifact is currently being kept in the collection of the Institute of Archeology at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.

 It was cast during the Xiongnu period, from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. Originally attached to decorative dishes, etc., it was used to decorate Mongolian horse equipment. A truly stunning example of the presence of Greek Art in the depths of Asia 2000 years ago.

ARTIFACTS REVEAL HISTORY : A HELLENISTIC SILVER VASE IN CHINA

 

One of the most fascinating Hellenistic cultural relics was  unearthed in Guyuan, Ningxia, in the northwestern border of China. It is a Bactrian silver pot, which was made in the 5th-6th century CE. Although this object was found in China, the pattern on the pot is a very classic Trojan myth: Paris' verdict (golden apple), and Paris elopes with  Helen.

The leftmost scene in the picture is Paris eloping with Helen. Helen’s costume is similar to that of Aphrodite, but without Aphrodite’s headband and earrings. Paris is almost naked except for the helmet and cloak. He is holding Helen's hand with one hand, and holding Helen's chin with the other, which symbolizes love in Greek vase paintings, while Helen is lifting one foot up the steps, as if to board a ship. In this pattern, Helen's movement is a three-bending posture that meets the Indian art standard. This movement is distributed from North India to Xinjiang, China, and then to the Central Plains.

In the middle scene, Helen and her husband Menelaus appear. The meaning of the specific scene is still debated.

The rightmost picture in the scene shows the scene of Paris and Aphrodite, Paris holds a spear in one hand, and then gives the golden apple to Goddess Aphrodite. Although these ancient Greek characters have typical deformations or distortions in the shape of the characters, they generally retain the basic shape of the ancient Greek hero prototype. Finally, on the handle of the pot, there is also a Greek-style figure wearing a helmet.

This silver pot was made in the area ruled by the White Huns in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. The maker may be a Greek craftsman in the Greek community, and then entered Northwest China through the Central Asian trade route, and entered Li In Xian's mansion. And Li Xian's epitaph shows that although he has a Han-style name, his true identity is a foreign race: Li Xian's tenth ancestor was named Tengdigui, and he was a leader of Xianbei. Afterwards, the descendants of Tengdigui entered the Central Plains with the Northern Wei Dynasty. So obviously Lee Hyun was born into a multicultural environment. The Greek descendants of Bactria should fully understand the meaning of these cultural relics, but after arriving in the Central Plains after a long journey along the Silk Road, it is unclear whether the owner of this Bactrian silver jug ​​knew the cultural meaning of this jug. Not sure, but it must be very interesting how Li Xian understood the pattern on this pot.

In fact, this is not the first time that the ancient Chinese came into contact with ancient Greek-style cultural relics and artworks. Almost at the same time, there is also a silver plate with Dionysus, the God of wine, in the center of the plate. It is probably also a masterpiece of Greek craftsmen in the Bactria area; the "Qianlianglu" quoted in "Taiping Yulan" records: "During the Zhanggui period, Xihu made golden vases, all of which were made by brushes, strange shapes, and taller than others. , two pieces", this is the earliest record in Chinese historical materials that mentions that the suspected Greek- style artworks entered the Han cultural circle; During the archaeological excavation at the Ya site, a garbage dump equivalent to the end of the Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms period was found. Among a pile of pottery fragments, rags, straw, and pieces of leather, there are some administrative wooden slips of the Han Dynasty, and some of them have clay seals of Greek Gods . Although the painting style has an oriental color, But this is still classic ancient Greek style:

Among them are the images of Hermes, Zeus, Athena and Hercules, and unearthed together with them, there are also seals of officials who manage Shanshan. The word "Shanshan" is clearly recognizable after more than 2,000 years , I just don’t know if the Central Plains officials who used these bamboo slips and seals at that time knew the relevant stories about the mythical figures on these round seals.

If you want to know more stories about Silk Road cultural relics, you can read "History of Silk Road Civilization in Ten Ancient Relics" by Houlang Publishing House. 

Edited from  : 163.com

STATUETTE OF A GREEK SOLDIER ~ CHINA

Statuette of a Greek soldier, wearing a version of the Greek Phrygian helmet, from a 3rd-century BCE burial site north of the Tian Shan .Photo by Goldsmelter, Xinjiang Region Museum, Urumqi.

Source ~ Wikipedia

ANCIENT CHINESE SILVER COIN WITH GREEK SCRIPT

Silver Bai Jin San Pin, Dragon Coin, from Emperor Han Wudi 119 BCE. the Dragon Coin.

Issued by Emperor Wu Di of the Western Han dynasty, presumably to strengthen trade with the Greco-Bactrian state since the script is in Greek characters.

 The territory of Bactria was called 大夏 Dàxià in Chinese. On the obverse we see a dragon. The reverse legend is in Greek characters.There have been many attempts to decipher the meaning but it seems it doesn't make sense in any way.2 chop marks, shao 少 for shao fu 少府 (emperor's private Treasury).Shao Fu 少府 mint.

SOURCE   Dr Raoul McLaughlin YouTube channel

NIYA : THE ANCIENT GREEK CITY OF WESTERN CHINA

The Greco-Bactrians the Greco-Bactrians have led expeditions as far as Kashgar and Ürümqi in Xinjiang, leading to the first known contacts between China and the West around 220 BCE. The Greek historian Strabo too writes that: "they extended their empire even as far as the Seres (Chinese) and the Phryni". 

Several statuettes and representations of Greek soldiers have been found north of the Tien Shan, on the doorstep to China, and are today on display in the Xinjiang museum at Urumqi (Boardman). Greek influences on Chinese art have also been suggested. Designs with rosette flowers, geometric lines, and glass inlays, suggestive of Hellenistic influences, can be found on some early Han dynasty bronze mirrors. Excavations at the burial site of China's first Emperor Qin Shi Huang, dating back to the 3rd century BCE, also indicate Greek influence in the artworks found there, including in the creation of the famous Terracotta army. It has also been suggested that Greek artists may have come to China at that time to train local artisans in making sculptures. 

Numismatics also show that some technology exchanges may have occurred on these occasions: the Greco-Bactrians were the first in the world to issue cupro-nickel coins, an alloy technology only known by the Chinese at the time under the name "White copper". A number of Chinese envoys were then sent to Central Asia, triggering the development of the Silk Road from the end of the 2nd century BCE.

 The Greco-Bactrians were known for their high level of Hellenistic sophistication, and kept regular contact with both the Mediterranean and neighbouring India . They were on friendly terms with India and exchanged ambassadors. The ruins of Niya is an archaeological site located about 115 km (71 mi) north of modern Minfeng Town (Niya) on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin in modern-day Xinjiang, China. The ancient site was known in its native language as Caḍ́ota, and in Chinese during the Han Dynasty as Jingjue. Numerous ancient archaeological artifacts have been uncovered at the site. Niya was once a major commercial center on an oasis on the southern branch of the Silk Road in the southern Taklamakan Desert. During ancient times camel caravans would cut through, carrying goods from China to Central Asia. In Hanshu , an independent oasis state called Jingjue, generally thought to be Niya, is mentioned: The seat of the king's government is the town of Jingjue, and it is distant by 8,820 li [probably 3,667 km/2,279 miles] from Ch'ang-an. There are 480 households, 3,350 individuals with 500 persons able to bear arm. [There are the following officials] the commandant of Jingjue, the leaders of the left and the right and an interpreter-in-chief. Hanshu, chapter 96a, translation from Hulsewé 1979.

 Niya became part of Loulan Kingdom by the third century. Towards the end of the 4th century it was under Chinese suzerainty, later it was conquered by Tibet. In 1900, Aurel Stein set out on an expedition to western China and the Taklamakan Desert. In Niya he excavated several groups of dwellings, and found 100 wooden tablets written in 105 CE. These tablets bore clay seals, official orders and letters written in Kharoshthi, an early Indic script, dating them to the Kushan empire. Other finds include coins and documents dating from the Han dynasty, Roman coins, an ancient mouse trap, a walking stick, part of a guitar, a bow in working order, a carved stool, an elaborately-designed rug and other textile fragments, as well as many other household objects such as wooden furniture with elaborate carving, pottery, Chinese basketry and lacquer ware. Aurel Stein visited Niya four times between 1901 and 1931. Official approval for joint Sino-Japanese archaeological excavations at the site was given in 1994. Researchers have now found remains of human habitation including approximately 100 dwellings, burial areas, sheds for animals, orchards, gardens, and agricultural fields. They have also found in the dwellings well-preserved tools such as iron axes and sickles, wooden clubs, pottery urns and jars of preserved crops. The human remains found there have led to speculation on the origins of these peoples. 
 Niya was a small , landlocked yet cosmopolitan city - state where ancient Chinese peoples and cultures blended with those of India, Persia and Macedonia. The urban center was a major stop on the Silk Road , the long, overland trading route that linked the two great civilizations of Han China and the Roman Empire. Camel caravans carried Chinese silk, tea and porcelain west and brought European gold, glassware and silver east. Ideas and cultural traditions also flowed both ways. According to scholars , Niya' s population included soldiers of Macedonia' s Alexander the Great, known to have spread Hellenistic culture throughout much of the ancient world and to have reached the Pamir Mountains just west of Niya during the 4 th century BCE. Legend says that one of Alexander' s expeditionary forces disappeared in the region. If Alexander' s troops reached Niya, that might account for the Hellenistic style of furniture found there by British explorer Aurel Stein in 1901. Led by a local Uyghur camel driver, the Stein expedition was the first from modern Europe to find the place and reveal the multicultural nature of Niya. In a town centered on the Buddhist shrine, or stupa a legacy of the spread of Buddhism from India to the southeast in the 1st century C.E. Stein pillaged Greek - style furniture from the houses. He found documents written on wooden tablets in the long - dead Kharoshthi language. On clay seals on the wooden covering of the tablets,

 Stein saw depictions of Greek Gods, including Eros, Athena and Hercules. Since Stein 's expedition, Niya's past has intrigued archaeologists worldwide. European and Japanese adventurers followed in his footsteps, gambling with their lives by braving torrid heat and sandstorms in the hope of unearthing more relics from the ancient kingdom. But not until a 1993 expedition, equipped with various high tech gadgets, including Global Positioning System instruments for determining Niya' s location precisely, were further major discoveries made. After 57 miles, the expedition found the Niya River ending near Kabake- Arsihan, a dusty village of 110 Uyghur-speaking households that rely on water from wells dug in the dried riverbed. The residents looked more European than Asian, with deep- set eyes, long noses and long heads. Old men grew full beards. The villagers all knew about Niya, and claimed that their families originated from the people of that city.If that is true, those villagers may be carrying Macedonian blood inherited from Alexander' s soldiers. Caucasians in ancient Niya are thought to have entered the desert by crossing the Pamir Mountains, a huge range that had halted the armies of ancient Rome and of Alexander the Great. Thanks to the flourishing trade route that traversed the region , these city states, which included Loulan, Hotan, Milan and Jing - jue (now called Niya), had been the meeting places of Western and Chinese cultures, religions and arts. Niya was said to be the most prosperous from the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE. The presence of a European artistic style in a Chinese temple astonished researchers.

Source:Author : Isidoros Skliros- Economist, Historian,Researcher . Email: greek.history.and.prehistory99@gmail.com

THE INFLUENCE OF GRECO-BACTRIAN KINGDOMS ON CHINA

The Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, along with the Indo-Greek Kingdom, was the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world, covering Bactria and Sogdiana in Central Asia from 250 to 125 BCE. It was centered on the north of present-day Afghanistan. The expansion of the Greco-Bactrians into present-day eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan from 180 BCE established the Indo-Greek Kingdom, which lasted until around 10 CE. Diodotus, the satrap of Bactria (and probably the surrounding provinces) founded the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom when he seceded from the Seleucid Empire around 250 BCE and became King Diodotus I of Bactria. 

"Diodotus, the governor of the thousand cities of Bactria, defected and proclaimed himself king; all the other people of the Orient followed his example and seceded from the Macedonians." (Justin)

 The new kingdom was highly urbanized and considered as one of the richest of the Orient. 'The Greeks who caused Bactria to revolt grew so powerful on account of the fertility of the country that they became masters, not only of Ariana, but also of India', as Apollodorus of Artemita says. 'and more tribes were subdued by them than by Alexander... '

Their cities were Bactra (also called Zariaspa, through which flows a river bearing the same name and emptying into the Oxus), and Darapsa, and several others. Among these was Eucratidia, which was named after its ruler." (Strabo) 

Euthydemus, a Magnesian Greek according to Polybius and possibly satrap of Sogdiana, overthrew the dynasty of Diodotus I around 230-220 BCE and started his own dynasty. Euthydemus's control extended to Sogdiana, going beyond the city of Alexandria Eschate founded by Alexander the Great in Ferghana:

"And they also held Sogdiana, situated above Bactriana towards the east between the Oxus River, which forms the boundary between the Bactrians and the Sogdians, and the Iaxartes River. And the Iaxartes forms also the boundary between the Sogdians and the nomads." (Strabo) 

Classical accounts also relate that Euthydemus negotiated peace with Antiochus III by suggesting that he deserved credit for overthrowing the original rebel Diodotus, and that he was protecting Central Asia from nomadic invasions thanks to his defensive efforts:"...for if he did not yield to this demand, neither of them would be safe: seeing that great hordes of Nomads were close at hand, who were a danger to both; and that if they admitted them into the country, it would certainly be utterly barbarised." (Polybius).

 Following the departure of the Seleucid army, the Bactrian Kingdom seems to have expanded. In the West, areas in north-eastern Iran have been absorbed, as far as into Parthia, whose ruler had been defeated by Antiochus the Great. These territories are identical with the Bactrian satrapies of Tapuria and Traxiane. To the north, Euthydemus also ruled Sogdiana and Ferghana, and there are indications that from Alexandria Eschate the Greco-Bactrians have led expeditions as far as Kashgar and Ürümqi in Xinjiang, leading to the first known contacts between China and the West around 220 BCE. 

Issued by Emperor Wu Di of the Western Han dynasty, presumably to strengthen trade with the Greco-Bactrian state since the script is in Greek characters. 

The Greek historian Strabo too writes that: "they extended their empire even as far as the Seres(Chinese) and the Phryni".  Several statuettes and representations of Greek soldiers have been found north of the Tien Shan, on the doorstep to China, and are today on display in the Xinjiang museum at Urumqi (Boardman). Middle Eastern or Greek influences on Chinese art have also been suggested (Hirth, Rostovtzeff). Designs with rosette flowers, geometric lines, and glass inlays, suggestive of Egyptian, Persian, and/or Hellenistic influences, can be found on some early Han dynasty bronze mirrors.

 Some speculate that Greek influence is found in the artworks of the burial site of China's first Emperor Qin Shi Huang, dating back to the 3rd century BCE, including in the manufacture of the famous Terracotta Army. This idea suggested that Greek artists may have come to China at that time to train local artisans in making sculptures.

 Numismatics suggest that some technology exchanges have occurred on these occasions: the Greco-Bactrians were the first in the world to issue cupro-nickel coins, an alloy technology only known by the Chinese at the time under the name "White copper". The practice of exporting Chinese metals- in particular iron-for trade is attested around that period. Kings Euthydemus, Euthydemus II, Agathocles and Pantaleon made these coin issues around 170 BCE and a nickeliferous copper ore was the source from mines at Anarak. Copper-nickel would not be used again in coinage until the 19th century.

The Sampul Tapestry

The Sampul tapestry is an ancient woolen wall-hanging found at the Tarim Basin settlement of Shanpula also known as Sampul, in Lop County, Xinjiang, China, close to ancient city of Khotan. The object has many Hellenistic features, linking it to the Greek settlements of Central Asia, which existed from 180 BCE until the 1st century CE. The full tapestry is 48 cm wide and 230 cm long. The centaur fragment is 45 cm by 55 cm, and the warrior's face fragment is 48 cm by 52 cm.

The Sampul Τapestry is a woolen wall-hanging that was found in Sampul,Xinjiang, near Khotan, in the Tarim Basin inside a  mass grave.

 The recovered tapestry only constitutes the left decorative border of what would have been a much bigger wall hanging. Made of wool, it comprises 24 threads of various colours. The tapestry depicts a man with Caucasoid features, including blue eyes, and a centaur. If lost fabric is accounted for, the soldier would be about six times as tall as the centaur. The subject is identified as a warrior by the spear he is holding in his hand as well as a dagger tucked on his waist. He wears a tunic with rosette motifs. His headband could be a diadem, a symbol of kingship in the Hellenistic world and represented on Macedonian and other Greek coins. The centaur is playing a horn while wearing a cape and a hood. Surrounding him is a diamond-shaped floral ornament. Due to heavy looting at the location, the dating of the material is uncertain. It has been assigned dates from the 3rd century BCE to the 4th century CE.

Serica

Serica was one of the easternmost countries of Asia known to the Ancient Greek and Roman geographers. It is generally taken as referring to North China during its Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties, as it was reached via the overland Silk Road in contrast to the Sinae, who were reached via the maritime routes. A similar distinction was later observed during the Middle Agesbetween "Cathay" (north) and "Mangi" or "China" (south). The people of Serica were the Seres, whose name was also used for their region. Access to Serica was eased following the Han conquest of the Tarim Basin (Xinjiang) but largely blocked when the Parthian Empire fell to the Sassanids. Yule summarized the classical geographers: " If we fuse into one the ancient notices of the Seres and their country, omitting anomalous statements and manifest fables, the result will be something like the following: “The region of the Seres is a vast and populous country, touching on the east the Ocean (Pacific) and the limits of the habitable world, and extending west to Imaus (Himalayas) and the confines of Bactria. The people are civilized, mild, just, and frugal, eschewing collisions with their neighbours, and even shy of close intercourse, but not averse to dispose of their own products, of which raw silk is the staple, but which include also silk-stuffs, fine furs, and iron of remarkable quality.” That is manifestly a definition of the Chinese."

Statuette of a Greek soldier, wearing a version of the Greek Phrygian helmet, from a 3rd-century BCE burial site north of the Tian Shan .Photo by Goldsmelter, Xinjiang Region Museum, Urumqi.

The Phryni

The Phryni were an ancient people of eastern Central Asia, probably located in the eastern part of the Tarim Basin, in an area connected to that of the Seres and the Tocharians. They are mentioned several times in Classical sources. Strabo, speaking of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom explains that: "they extended their empire even as far as the Seres and the Phryni". Later, Pliny the Elder includes the Phryni (which he names "Phruri"- Φρουροι in Greek means Guardians) in his description of the people of the Far East: "...After leaving these, we again come to a nation of the Scythians, and then again to desert tracts tenanted by wild beasts, until we reach a chain of mountains which runs up to the sea, and bears the name of Tabis (ie. Tibet). It is not, however, before we have traversed very nearly one half of the coast that looks towards the north-east, that we find it occupied by inhabitants. The first people that are known of here are the Seres, so famous for the wool that is found in their forests (...) and the nation of the Attacori on the gulf of that name, a people protected by their sunny hills from all noxious blasts (...)After the Attacori, we find the nations of the Phruri and the Tochari, and, in the interior, the Casiri, a people of India, who look toward the Scythians, and feed on human flesh."

   Edited from: Greek History and Prehistory            

GREEK CENTAUR AND SOLDIER IN CHINESE ART

The Sampul Τapestry is a woolen wall-hanging that was found in Sampul,Xinjiang, near Khotan, in the Tarim Basin inside a 3rd-2nd century BCE mass grave.

The tapestry depicts a Greek soldier and a Centaur. It is probably a Greek work from Central Asia (Greco-Bactria) and uses more than 24 threads of different colors in a typical Western technique.

The soldier wears a tunic with rosette motifs. His headband could be a diadem, the symbol of kingship in the Hellenistic world, as represented on Macedonian and other Greek coins. The presence of the Centaur as a motif, a typical element of Greek mythology, floral motifs, and the realistic rendering further reinforce the identification of the soldier as Greek. The tapestry was, curiously, fashioned into a pair of trousers, indicating that it may have been used as a decorative trophy.

The existence of this tapestry tends to suggest that contacts between the Hellenistic kingdoms of Central Asia and the Tarim Basin, at the edge of the Chinese world occurred from around the 3rd century BCE.

Source: Pictures from Ancient History

SERINDIAN ART ~ GREEK INFLUENCE IN CHINA

The art of the Tarim Basin- also called Serindian art.

Serindian art is the art that developed from the 2nd through the 11th century C.E. in Serindia or Xinjiang, the western region of China that forms part of Central Asia.

It derives from the Greco-Buddhist art of the Gandhara district of what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gandharan sculpture combined Indian traditions with Greek influences. Greek-influenced culture was most probably in existence prior to Alexander the Great's invasions, Afghanistan natives retained this influence which was lost in Greece.

The arts of China, Korea and Japan adopted Greco-Buddhist artistic influences, but tended to add many local elements as well.The characteristics that remain most readily identifiable from Greco-Buddhist art are the following:
The general idealistic realism of the figures, reminiscent of Greek art.
Clothing elements with elaborate Greek-style folds.
The curly hairstyle, characteristic of the Mediterranean.
The hovering winged figures holding a wreath, which appear in some Buddhist representations.
Greek sculptural elements such as vines and floral scrolls.

Greco-Buddhist artistic elements can be traced in Chinese Buddhist art, with several local and temporal variations depending on the character of the various dynasties that adopted the Buddhist faith. Some of the earliest known Buddhist artifacts found in China are small statues on "money trees", dated circa 200 CE, in typical Gandharan style (drawing): "That the imported images accompanying the newly arrived doctrine came from Gandhara is strongly suggested by such early Gandhara characteristics on this "money tree" Buddha as the high ushnisha, vertical arrangement of the hair, moustache, symmetrically looped robe and parallel incisions for the folds of the arms." ( "Crossroads of Asia" p.209 )

Some Northern Wei statues can be quite reminiscent of Gandharan standing Buddha, although in a slightly more symbolic style. The general attitude and rendering of the dress, however, remain. Others, like the Northern Qi Dynasty statues, also maintain the general Greco-Buddhist style, but with less realism and stronger symbolic elements.

Moreover, some Eastern Wei statues display Buddhas with elaborate Greek-style robe foldings, and surmounted by flying figures holding a wreath.

THE SAGA OF THE KANISHKA ~ RABATAK INSCRIPTION

It happened in 1993, when an inscription in Bactrian and Greek was found in a place called Rabatak between Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, when the Mujahideen were digging a trench along with many cultural treasures. It gave a complete account of the genealogy of the early Kushan Empire and some details until the reign of Kanishka, one of the most powerful and one of the most enigmatic empires in the cross roads between India, China and Persia. It is assumed that the Kushans are a part of the Xiongnu federation residing on the North Western borders of China and enjoying a love-hate relationship with the Chinese,throughout their reign.Possibly due to Chinese pressure, they were slowly pushed towards India and as time passed on, became Indianized. They took a serious blow because of an invasion of the Sassanians and were replaced by some remnants under the name Kushahshahs/Indo-Sassanians.

The inscription goes as follows:

English translation

“The year one of Kanishka, the great deliverer, the righteous, the just, the autocrat, the god, worthy of worship, who has obtained the kingship from Nana and from all the gods, who has laid down (i.e. established) the year one as the gods pleased.”
“And it was he who laid out the Ionian speech and then placed the Arya  speech (i.e. replaced the use of Greek by the Aryan language).”
“In the year one, it has been proclaimed unto India, unto the whole realm of the governing class including Koonadeano (Kaundinya) and the city of Ozeno (Ujjain) and the city of Zageda (Saketa) and the city of Kozambo (Kausambi) and the city of Palabotro (Pataliputra) and so long unto the city of Ziri-tambo (Sri-Champa).”
“Whichever rulers and the great householders there might have been, they submitted to the will of the king and all India submitted to the will of the king.”

“The king Kanishka commanded Shapara, the master of the city, to make the Nana Sanctuary, which is called (i.e. known for having the availability of) external water (or water on the exterior or surface of the ground), in the plain of Kaeypa, for these deities – of whom are Ziri (Sri) Pharo (Farrah) and Omma.”
“To lead are the Lady Nana and the Lady Omma, Ahura Mazda, Mazdooana, Srosharda, who is called … and Komaro (Kumara)and called Maaseno (Mahasena) and called Bizago (Visakha), Narasao and Miro (Mihara).”
“And he gave same (or likewise) order to make images of these deities who have been written above.”
“And he ordered to make images and likenesses of these kings: for king Kujula Kadphises, for the great grandfather, and for this grandfather Saddashkana (Sadashkana), the Soma sacrificer, and for king V’ima Kadphises, for the father, and for himself, king Kanishka.”
“Then, as the king of kings, the son of god, had commanded to do, Shaphara, the master of the city, made this sanctuary.”
“Then, the master of the city, Shapara, and Nokonzoka led worship according to the royal command.”
“These gods who are written here, then may ensure for the king of kings, Kanishka, the Kushana, for remaining for eternal time healthy., secure and victorious… and further ensure for the son of god also having authority over the whole of India from the year one to the year thousand and thousand.”
“Until the sanctuary was founded in the year one, to then the Great Arya year had been the fashion.”
“…According to the royal command, Abimo, who is dear to the emperor, gave capital to Pophisho.”
“…The great king gave (i.e. offered worship) to the deities.”
Greek
1. […. ]νο βωγο στοργο κανηþκε κοþανο ραþτογο λαδειγo χοαζαοαργο βαγ[η]-

2. ζνογο κιδι ασo νανα oδo ασo oισπoανo µι βαγανo ι þαoδανo αβoρδo κιδι ιωγo χþoνo

3. νoβαστo σ(α)γωνδι βαγανo σινδαδo oτηια ι ιωναγγo oασo oζoαστo ταδηια oριαo ωσ-

4. ταδo αβo ιωγo χþoν(o) αβo [ι] ιυνδo φρoαγδαζo αβo þατριαγγε þαoρε αγιτα κoo-

5. αδηανo oδo ι oα(σ)πo oδ(o) [ι ζ]αγηδo oδo ι κωζ(αµ)βo oδo ι παλαβoτρo oιδρα αδα αβo ι ζιριτ-

6. αµβo σιδηιανo πρoβαo oδo µανδαρσι ζαopανo αβo ι σινδo ωσταδo oτη(ι)α αρoυγo

7. ιυνδo (αβo) ι σινδo ωσταδo ταδι þαι κανηþκε αβo þαφαρo καραλραγγo φρoµαδo

8. (α)βειναo βαγoλαγγo κιρδι σιδι β…αβo ριζδι αβo µα καδγε ραγα φαρειµoανo β-

9. (α)γα(ν)o κιδι µαρo κιρδαν(ε) ι µα..o[φ]αρρo oµµα ooηλδι ια αµσα νανα oδo ια αµ-

10. σα oµµα αoρoµoζδo µoζδoo(α)νo σρoþαρδo ναρασαo µιιρo oτηια oυδoα-

11. νo πι(δo)γιρβo φρoµαδo κιρδι ειµoανo βαγανo κιδι µασκα νιβιχτιγενδι oτ-

12. ηια φρoµαδo αβειµoανo þαoνανo κιρδι αβo κoζoυλo καδφισo þαo αβo ι φρ-

13. oνιαγo (o)δo α(βo o)oηµo (τ)ακτoo þαo α(β)[o] ι νια(γ)o oδo αβo ooηµo καδφισo þαo αβo

14. (ι) πιδα oδo αβo ι χoβιε aβo κανηþκo þαo tα σαγωνδι þαoνανo þαo ι βαγoπoo-

15. ρακ[α]νε […] φρ(o)µαδo κιρδι ταδι þαφαρε καραλραγγε κιρδo ειo βαγoλαγγo

16. [ ]o καραλραγγo oδo þαφαρo καραλραγγo oδo νoκoνζoκo ι αþτoo-

17. α[λγo κιρ]δo ια φρoµανo ειµιδβα βαγε κιδι µαρo νιβιχτιγενδι ταδανo αβo þαoν-

18. αν(o) þαo αβo κανηþκε κoþανo αβo ιαoηδανι ζoρριγι λρoυ(γ)o αγγαδ…γo oανινδ-

19. o π[…]ι(ν)δι oδ[…](δ)ι βα(γ)επooρo ασo ιωγo χþoνo αβo ιo (α) χþoνo ιυνδo αρoυγo ν-

20. αρα[]ι β(α)γoλαγγo αβo ιωγo χþoνo ασπαδo ταδι αβo ι αρηµεσo χþoνo αγγαρ[…]

21. []χα[ π]ιδo þαo φρoµανα αβισσι παρηνα λαδo αβισσι ρηδγε λαδo αβισσ[ι ..]

22. []þαι µαδ...α (α)βo βαγανo λαδo oδo φαρειµoανo αχoδανo [σι]δι [α]βo µι βαγε λ[αδo]

23. [ ]ατιδ(η)oσ[

Bactrian
[….]no bōgo storgo kanēške košan raštog lādeigo xoazaoargo bag[ē]-
znogo kidi aso Nana odo aso oispoan mi bagano i šaodano abordo kidi iōg xšono
nobasto s(a)gōndi bagano sindado otēia i iōnaggo oaso ozoasto tadēia aria
ōstado abo iōg xšon(o) abo [i] iundo froagdazo abo šatriagge šaore agita koo-
adēano odo i oa(s)po od(o) [i z]agēdo odo i kōz(am)bo odo i palabotro oidra ada abo i zirit-
ambo sidēiano probao odo mandarsi zaorano abo i sindo ōstado otē(i)a arougo
iundo (abo) i sindo ōstado tadi šai kanēške abo šafaro karalraggo fromado
(a)beinao bagolango kirdi sidi b…abo rizdi abo ma kadge b-
(a)ga(n)o kidi maro kirdan(e) i ma…o[f]arro omma ooēldi ia amsa nana odo ia am-
sa omma aoromozdo mozdoo(a)no srošardo narasao miiro otēia oudoa-
no pi(do)girbo fromado kirdi eimoano bagano kidi maska nibixtigendi ot-
ēia fromado abeimoano šaonano kirdi abo kozoulo kadfiso šao abo i fr-
oniago (o)do a(bo o)oēmo (t)akto šao a(b)[o] i nia(g)o odo abo ooēmo kadfiso šao abo
(i) pido odo abo i xobie abo kanēško šao ta sagōndi šaonano šao i bagopoo-
rak[a]ne […] fr(o)mado kirdi tadi šafare karalraggo kirdo eio bagolaggo
karalraggo odo šafaro karalraggo odo nokonzoko i aštoo-
a[lgo kir]do ia fromano eimidba bage kidi maro nibixtigendi tadano abo šaon-
an(o) šao abo kanēške košano abo iaoēdani zorrigi lrou(g)o aggad…go oanind-
o p[…]i(n)di od[..](d)i ba(g)epooro aso iōgo xšono abo io (a) xšono iundo arougo n-
ara[ ]i b(a)golaggo abo iōgo xšono aspado tadi abo i arēmeso xšono aggar[…]
[]xa[ p]ido šao fromana abissi parēna lado abissi rēdge lado abiss[i..]
[ ]šai mad…a (a)bo bagano lado ado fareimoano axodano [si]di abo mi bage l[ado]

[ ]atid(ē)os
SOURCES  Rabatak inscription , wikipedia and persee.fr/

COINS OF KUSHAN EMPIRE

Kanishka I is undoubtedly the most famous Kushan king and even perhaps the greatest, although his son Huvishka's empire was probably bigger , and his coinage more refined. 

He owes much of his fame to his place in early Buddhist literature, where he is mentioned as a patron of Buddhism and the convener of the Fourth Buddhist Council. More importantly, Kanishka is central to historical discussions of the time because he is known to have started an era. Establishing the date of Kanishka has been a major point of historical research for over 100 years.

The uncertainty over this date is now finally coming to an end. Although there are a few dissenting voices still holding out for alternatives, most authors have now accepted the argument of Harry Falk that the Kanishka era should be dated to the year 127. Given that we have dated inscriptions naming Kanishka as the king with dates as high as 23, this would put Kanishka's reign at c. 127-150.

The most important inscription of Kanishka is the Rabatak Inscription. This established his geneaology, with Kujula Kadphises, Vima Takto (or Takha) and Vima Kadphises being named as his immediate ancestors. It is this part of the inscription that has received the most attention. But there are at least three other very important revelations in the inscription. First, it clearly establishes that Kanishka created a new era, because it is dated in year one. Second, it shows Kanishka to be a nationalist: he explicitly states that he is recording this inscription in the Arian (or Bactrian) language. 

Until that time, Greek had been the lingua franca of the region and indeed the first coins of Kanishka carry Greek legends as did the coins of all his forebears . But after the brief early issues, Kanishka's coins switch to carrying Bactrian legends. For example, the word "King," rather than being recorded as the Greek BAΣIΛEΩΣ (Basileus), is now rendered Shao.Third, it suggests that, at least at the time his reign started, Kanishka was a follower of Iranian religion since he gives prime place among the listed pantheon to the Goddess Nana, but nevertheless honored deities from different traditions.

 These lessons from the Rabatak Inscription are reflected in Kanishka's wonderful coinage. As mentioned earlier, his early Greek issues feature Greek legends and Greek versions of the deities. They are quickly replaced by Bactrian issues with Bactrian legends and the Iranian versions of the same deities. In addition, deities from different traditions are featured on the coinage.

SOURCE: coinindia.com