Vasantasena, Bacchanalian relief with intoxicated courtesan, Kushan, 2nd c
The Kushan, one of the fi ve tribes
that formed the Yuezhi confederacy, unifi ed all fi ve to establish the
Kushan kingdom. Chinese historical records refer to the Great Yuezhi
as a country on a highland north of India where “the king calls
himself ‘Son of the Heaven.’ The cavalry of the state is more than
a hundred thousand in strength. The layout of the city and architecture
are similar to that of the Romans. (Liu, Xinru.
The Silk Road in world history / Xinru Liu. Oxford Univ. Press)