Judith A. Lerner. Art at the Crossroads:The visual culture of Sasanians, Kushano-Sasanian, and Huns in Bactria

Judith A. Lerner
Dr Judith A. Lerner is an art historian, specialising in the history and visual culture of Iran and Central Asia, from the Achaemenid to the early Islamic periods. She is a research associate at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World and co-editor of the Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology. She is especially interested in and has published widely on the art and culture of the Silk Road and the uses of Iran’s pre-Islamic visual past in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Art at the Crossroads:
The visual culture of Sasanians, Kushano-Sasanian, and Huns in Bactria
In the course of its long history, the Iranian land of Bactria (present-day Afghanistan) came under the sway of successive conquerors. Early in the 3rd century CE, the Sasanian Persians (224-650 CE) spread their control east into Bactria, taking over Kushan lands and extending their sway into Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Initially a Sasanian vassal kingdom, this territory became a province governed by viceroys who are known as “Kushano-Sasanians.” By the mid-4th century, however, various Hunnic groups had entered Bactria, challenging Persian rule and eventually dominating the region for the next 200 years. Adding to this complexity is the interaction among the different religious traditions in the region. This talk will explore how this art reflects this territory’s political and religious history.