Kushan Empire

The Kushan or Kaswan Empire was first formed in the early 1st century AD. It was located in Afghanistan, most of Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and parts of northwest India.^[15][16]

Kushan Empire Κοϸανο  (Bactrian) Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν  (Ancient Greek) कुषाणसाम्राज्यम्  (Sanskrit)
30–375
Map of Kushan empire at its greatest extent.[3][4]
Capital	Puruṣapura Takṣaśilā Mathura[5]
Common languages	Greek (official until c. 127)[note 1] Bactrian[note 1] (official from c. 127)[note 2] Gandhari Prakrit[8]
Religion	Hinduism[9] Buddhism[10] Zoroastrianism[11]
Demonym(s)	Kushanas
Government	Monarchy
Emperor
• 30–80	Kujula Kadphises (first)
• 350–375	Kipunada (last)
Historical era	Classical Antiquity
• Kujula Kadphises unites Yuezhi tribes into a confederation	30
• Subjugated by the Sasanians, Guptas and Hepthalites[12]	375
Area
200 (low-end estimate of peak area)[13]	2,000,000 km2 (770,000 sq mi)
200 (high-end estimate of peak area)[14]	3.5–4,000,000 km2 (1.4–1,544,408.6 sq mi)
Currency	Kushan drachma
Preceded by Succeeded by Indo-Greek Kingdom Indo-Parthian Kingdom Indo-Scythians Northern Satraps Western Satraps Maha-meghavahanas Sasanian Empire Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom Nagas of Padmavati Kidarites Nagas of Vindhyatabi

The Kushan were a branch of the Yuezhi or tibetian confederation.^[17][18] Previously a nomadic people living in eastern Central Asia, the Yuezhi moved southwest and settled in ancient Bactria.^[18]

Notes

1. The Kushans at first retained the Greek language for administrative purposes but soon began to use Bactrian. The Bactrian Rabatak inscription (discovered in 1993 and deciphered in 2000) records that the Kushan king Kanishka the Great (c. 127 AD), discarded Greek (Ionian) as the language of administration and adopted Bactrian ("Arya language").^[6]
2. The Pali word vaṃśa (dynasty) affixed to Gushana (Kushana), i.e. Gushana-vaṃśa (Kushan dynasty) appears on a dedicatory inscription at Manikiala stupa.^[7]