Languages and Literature in the Kushan Empire

There remains much to be discovered about the languages and literature of the Kushan Empire, to the extent that a new language in an unknown script has been discovered recently. Sanskrit and Prakrit are both literary languages that pre-date the Kushan Empire, whilst Bactrian developed to become a ‘literary’ language in this era. Sogdian is also important, spoken by the merchants who were engaged in the silk trade and who thus traversed Central Asia.

 

Related Information

  • Author(s):
    J. Harmatta
    Themes:
    Era:
    1st to 4th century AD
    Language of article:
    English
    Source:

    History of Civilizations in Central Asia, Volume II

    Format:
    PDF
    Countries:
    Afghanistan, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

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