Genom Asiens stäppland gick ett nätverk av korsande handelsvägar. De band samman de tre kontinenterna Afrika, Asien och Europa. De kallas för sidenvägarna.
Alexander den stores erövringar satte från 300-talet f.v.t grekiska avtryck ända bort till Baktrien i dagens Afghanistan, där staden Balkh var ett viktigt lärdomscentrum.
På 300-talet e.v.t dominerade buddhismen i Centralasien. Influerade av grekiska gudabilder började buddhastatyer tillverkas.
På 500-talet blev kristendomen stark och viktig. Under hela medeltiden bodde långt fler kristna i Asien än i Europa. I början av 700-talet erövrades Centralasien av muslimska härskare och islam har sedan dess varit den dominerande religionen där.
A network of interconnected trade routes crisscrossed the Asian steppes. These linked together the three continents of Africa, Asia and Europe, and were known collectively as the Silk Roads.
Starting in the 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great’s conquests stretched Greek influence as far away as Bactria in present-day Afghanistan, where the city of Balkh was an important centre of learning. In the 4th century CE, Buddhism was dominant in Central Asia. Influenced by Greek depictions of gods, they began producing Buddha statues.
In the 6th century, Christianity grew strong and influential. Throughout the Middle Ages, there were many more Christians in Asia than in Europe. In the early 8th century, Central Asia was conquered by Muslims, and Islam has been the dominant religion there ever since.
Leave a comment
Here you can leave a comment. You have to supply an e-mail, an alias and you have to accept the agreements.