The artifact from the Royal Ontario Museum I chose to discuss for this essay, is a beautiful sculpture of a seated Buddha. It was molded out of black schist material, and originated from the ancient Gandharan period and is dated back to 100-200 AD. (figure appears in Appendix 1)

The importance of Central Asia lies in the fact that, "from classical times to the days of Marco Polo, it was the bridge of trade, religion, and culture that spanned the world between the East and the West" (Marshal, 45). Central Asia was often designated to the vast area stretching from the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea to the Great Wall of China. Geographically, this region was divided into two parts. The western part, now under Russian domination, comprised of the ancient regions of Khorasmia and Sogdiana, and the eastern part, now occupied by the Chinese, included the ancient...