1. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY & BUDDHISM
SPREAD OF IDEAS
Ideas and Material Evidence:
Very difficult to trace dissemination of ideas in preliterate societies:
E.g. Eating pork => restricted in SE Asia, Egypt, eastern Iran
SE Asian origination, but spreads to the west…very difficult to prove as true or false!

2. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY & BUDDHISM
SPREAD OF IDEAS
Ideas and Material Evidence (cont):
Invention of coins:
Mediterranean – coins invented in Anatolia and spread to Europe, North Africa, and India
China – made cast copper coins…were these inspired by Anatolian example…no way of knowing!

3. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY & BUDDHISM
SPREAD OF IDEAS
The Spread of Buddhism
The spread of ideas in a deliberate and organized fashion such that we can trace it is a phenomenon of the 1st millennium CE
This is particularly true with the spread of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam

4. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY & BUDDHISM
SPREAD OF IDEAS
The Spread of Buddhism (cont.)
Facilitated by royal sponsorship and by travels of ordinary pilgrims and missionaries
Ashoka (Mauryan) and Kanishka (Kushans) support Buddhism
Faxian and Xuanshang help transmit Buddhism to China – leave rich narratives of their journeys

5. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY & BUDDHISM
SPREAD OF IDEAS
The Spread of Buddhism (cont.)
Missionaries from India travel to a variety of destinations:
West
Syria
Egypt
Mesopotamia
North and East
Sri Lanka
SE Asia
Tibet

6. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY & BUDDHISM
SPREAD OF IDEAS
The Spread of Buddhism (cont.)
Buddhism changes and develops in lands it travels to:
Theravada Buddhism – Sri Lanka
Mahayana Buddhism – Tibet
Chan Buddhism (Zen) – East Asia

7. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY & BUDDHISM
SPREAD OF IDEAS
The Spread of Christianity
Armenia was an important trading location for the Silk Road
Mediterranean states spread Christianity to Armenia to bring that kingdom over to its side and thus deprive Iran of control of this area
Transmission of Christianity to Ethiopia was similarly linked to a Mediterranean Christian attempt to deprive Iran of trade