We will refer to Ancient China as the time between the Neolithic period (ca. 6,000-ca. 1750 B.C.E.) and the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.), This is the formative stage of Chinese civilization. During this time, what we now call China...

Archaeology is the study of the material remains of humanity's past. Excavated materials, along with other historical objects and text records, form the primary source material on Ancient China. All the major dynasties, beginning with...

There is significant debate concerning the development of the Buddha image--where it first occurred, why, and when. Broadly speaking, the image of the Buddha emerged during the first few centuries C.E. in two major centers of Indian art...

This is an image of the compassionate and merciful bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who are destined to become buddhas but postpone that final state in order to help humanity. The name Avalokiteshvara...

This figure represents a Shinto goddess; her name is not known. She is depicted as an aristocratic woman, dressed in a thick kimono-like garment. Shinto images like this one were not meant to be seen but were kept hidden in movable...

The Han Dynasty is one of the great dynasties in Chinese history, encompassing nearly four hundred years of expansion and consolidation which coincided with the period of the Roman republic and empire in the West. The period is usually...

Extensive information about the oldest known trade route of the Islamic World with China.