Kuṣāṇa
/kʊˈʂɑː.ɳə/noun
A name for the Kushan people, dynasty, and empire that ruled parts of Central and South Asia from roughly the first to third centuries CE.
Did you know?Kushan rulers issued coins showing Greek, Iranian, Indian, and Buddhist deities, making their currency a remarkable surviving record of religious syncretism.
Etymological Timeline
2nd–1st Century BCE
Chinese
月氏 (Yuezhi)
“The Chinese name for the nomadic people who migrated westward from Central Asia and later formed the Kushan ruling group.”
1st Century BCE
Chinese
貴霜 (Guishuang)
“A Chinese transcription of the name of the Guishuang, one of the major divisions of the Yuezhi.”
1st Century CE
Bactrian
Κοϸανο (Koshano)
“The Bactrian form found in Kushan-period inscriptions and coin legends for the Kushan polity.”
1st–3rd Century CE
Sanskrit
Kuṣāṇa
“The Sanskrit form used for the Kushan dynasty or its people.”
19th Century
English
Kushan
“The established English historical name for the dynasty and empire centered in parts of present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, and Central Asia.”