Journal article
Dionysus and drama in the Buddhist art of Gandhara
Journal of global history, v 4(2), pp 219-244
01 Jul 2009
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
This essay examines the relationships existing between Dionysian traditions of wine drinking and drama that reached the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world, and the Buddhist culture and art that flourished in Gandhara (Eastern Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan) under the Kushan kings between the first and third centuries CE. By piecing together archaeological, artistic and literary evidence, it appears that along with viniculture and viticulture, Dionysian rituals, Greek theatre and vernacular drama also became rooted in these eastern lands. Continuous interactions with the Graeco-Roman world strengthened these important cultural elements. At the beginning of the Common Era Dionysian traditions and drama came to be employed by the Buddhists of Gandhara to propagate their own ideas. The creation of a body of artworks representing the life of the Buddha in narrative form along with the literary work of Ashvaghosha, may be an expression of the same dramatic format that developed locally along with a strong Dionysian ritual presence.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Dionysus and drama in the Buddhist art of Gandhara
- Creators
- Pia Brancaccio - Drexel UniversityXinru Liu - College of New Jersey
- Publication Details
- Journal of global history, v 4(2), pp 219-244
- Publisher
- Cambridge Univ Press
- Number of pages
- 26
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Art and Art History
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000278090800002
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-68849101452
- Other Identifier
- 991019168079504721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- History