Following an extremely violent battle against the Kalingas, Ashoka spiraled into an identity crisis. He was appalled by the harm inflicted upon the Kalingas and became devoted to pacifism and Buddhism. 

Due to his new-found devotion to Buddhism and the Dharma, Ashoka began to erect several stupas containing holy relics of the deceased Buddha's various bones. According to a legend, Ashoka commanded to have 84,000 stupas built, which is an important number in Indian culture. 

One of the greatest stupas, the Stupa of Sanchi was first built in the third century BCE, comprised of burnt bricks. The one we see today is actually the renovated version that encases the original. This renovated version was built in the first century BCE by the Andra Dynasty. 

On the top of the dome of the stupa, lies an umbrella made up of three stones, each representing the Three Jewels of Buddhism. The first symbolizes the Buddha, the second symbolizes the Dharma, and the third symbolizes the Sangha. Buddhists on their pilgrimage will practice pradakshina, which is the act of ritual circumambulation. The dome itself represents the hemisphere of heaven enclosing the planet earth. The most intricate aspect of this stupa are its gateways, which demonstrate continuous and conflated narratives of the Buddha's life. 

When the Yuezhi people arrived in Bactria, there was a large presence of Grecian influence in the culture due to the previous occupation of Alexander the Great's military. This meant that Kushan art would be heavily influenced by the Greco-Roman style found in the area. This led to the cultivation of a new form of style known as Greco-Buddhist art found in this region. This is due to the reign of the fourth Kushan king, Kanishka, who is accredited with the adoption of Buddhism and its spread to Eastern parts of Asia through travel via the Silk Road. In the Kushan Empire, the portrayal of the Buddha in human form is seen for the first time in history. 

The statue, pictured above, is made up of gray schist, which is the natural resource found in the Gandhara region. As mentioned previously, the Kushan Empire was the first to portray the Buddha in human form. This is because the people of this Empire adopting this foreign religion were not aware of the concepts of samsara and parinirvana. This Buddha statue has many stylistic characteristics that exemplify the Kushan perspective and adoption of other culture's styles. This statue has a halo, which was originally first seen in depictions of the Persian sun god, Mithra. This statue also features a cranial deformation, which was a practice done by the Kushan royalty to signify their divinity. The Buddha seen here is also portrayed as a prince, which was meant to appeal to the wealthy merchants traveling through the Empire on the Silk Road.

The sculpture pictured above depicts the Buddha's first sermon at the Deer Park at Sarnath. In comparison with the sculptures made at the Kushan workshops at Gandhara and Mathura, the sculptures created within the Gupta Dynasty have less Greco-Roman influence. The face of the Buddha pictured above has softer features, with a more prominent mouth and nose. The texture of the hair also differs between the Kushan sculptures and the Guptan sculptures. Both feature the ushnisha hairstyle, which communicates the Buddha's power as an enlightened individual. 

The sculpture pictured above shares similarities with the Gandharan styles in the way the eyes are positioned in a half-closed, meditative state. The similarities shared between the Mathuran and the Guptan styles is the featuring of apsaras, or Buddhist angels. The halo featured on this sculpture has more intricate designs compared to its Kushan counterparts. The pose of this sculpture is similar to the Mathura Buddha, with the legs crossed and the feet facing upwards. The clothing of the Mathura Buddha and this Gupta Buddha are also similar with its minimal style and thin fabric.

This seal (dated 2600-1900 BCE), in particular, is incredibly interesting, because it appears to portray a seated figure, in the yogi pose, with a bull-horned headdress, and three different heads/faces. The figure is adorned with what could be assumed to be bronze jewelry, and surrounded by various different animals, including: an elephant, a tiger, a bull, and a rhinoceros. At the top of the seal is a series of characters that archaeologists assume to be a title or name.

This holds great significance because this figure resembles later images of Shiva, the Hindu god. The earliest known depiction of Shiva is dated back to 500 CE and was found on Elephanta Island. What is so fascinating is that the known time difference between these two relics is at least 2,400 years. Even though it cannot be claimed that the seal is a depiction of Shiva, it still demonstrates that the idea of a deity like Shiva was already considered over a millennium before his first known appearance in history. Shiva is considered one of the principal deities in Hinduism, and is known as the Lord of the Beasts. Shiva's three heads resemble three parts of Shiva's nature: Shiva the Maintainer (of the universe), Shiva the Creator (of the universe), and Shiva the Destroyer (of the universe). Shiva has both masculine and feminine attributes, with the Creator/left side being considered Shiva's feminine nature, and the Maintainer/center and Destroyer/right being the masculine natures. 

When the Buddhas were originally made, they were described to be adorned with bright paints, as shown by the photo pictured above, which is supposed to exemplify what they would appear during the time of their creation. The paints used on these statues is the first known use of oil paints in history. The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang who visited the site wrote that the Buddhas were decorated with jewels and the skin of the Buddhas were reportedly covered in gold, which would reflect the sun far distances. Xuanzang also wrote that in the surrounding caves, there were more than ten Buddhist monasteries and over a thousand monks made the Bamiyan cliffs their home.

These statues embody influences from Guptan styles, from the clothing that the Buddhas wear, to what can be seen of the facial features, to the physique of the statues. The robe that the Buddhas wear is the string-fold style, which was originally pioneered by the Greeks/Romans. The Bamiyan Buddhas' eyes were hypothesized to rest in a half-closed, meditative state. The physique of the Buddha is also of a slender, muscular build. 

In Neolithic Japan, the period is characterized as the Jōmon, or "cord marking" period, is the earliest known culture to create pottery. While the Chinese fired their pottery in kilns, the Japanese would fire their pottery in outdoor bonfires. The people of the Jōmon period were partially nomadic and participated in no agricultural activity. While the Chinese were domesticating millet and rice, the Japanese relied entirely on hunting and gathering.

Both of these East Asian cultures used clay to create their earthen wares. The piece shown above is from the Middle Jōmon period of Neolithic Japan. This is when archeologists suggest that religious beliefs and practices begin in this region. The earthenware piece in particular probably served for some religious practice in the community.

The two pieces were constructed by hand, with the Bampo piece being made using the coil method and the Jōmon piece being made using the additive method. While the Bampo piece is very simple, the Jōmon shape is unique and intricate. The Bampo piece has a smooth surface, while the Jōmon piece is textured with its groove detailing.

The faith of the Shang was the worship of ancestors through offerings of grain and alcohol, as well as sacrifices of animals and humans (usually young adult males). A practice of divination to the Shang ancestors is predominantly seen practiced by one Late Shang king in particular: King Wu Ding. Historians believe the frequency at which King Wu Ding would divine could be described as a type of compulsion. The divination would work by first collecting the tortoise plastrons or cattle scapulae, then creating hollow spaces along the bone to be purposely cracked when a hot, bronze poker would be placed inside.

The divination would be statements that would be said in the positive and also the negative. The king(s) would divine on offerings, sacrifices, health related issues, dreams, harvests, prayer, diplomatic issues, hunts, and so much more. The role of diviner existed to state the two statements in the positive and negative and create the cracks with the hot poker. 

On each oracle bone, there would be writing that describes what was the interpretation of the cracks and the topic of the ritual. King Wu Ding's favorite diviner was known as Que, and he performed the majority of the king's rituals.

It is known that the Zhou captured Shang casters in order to create bronze pieces for the Zhou king. In the Early Western Zhou period, the Zhou were heavily influenced by the motifs and styles of the Shang caster's bronze pieces. This meant using the taotie masks, gui dragons, and the thunder pattern. What differs from the Shang is the preference for square shapes, as seen in the square base in the piece pictured above. The Early Western Zhou pieces are more dramatic in its detailing compared to its conquered predecessor.

Analyzing the Middle Western Zhou period, it holds little semblance to its Early Western Zhou counterpart. As seen in the You pictured above, the Middle Western Zhou prefers round shapes and emphasizes bird motifs in their castings. There are no more taotie and gui dragons, but the birds are still a motif originally used by the Shang casters. The Late Western Zhou prefers rounder shapes, but the motifs are geometric instead of being theriomorphic or anthropomorphic.

While in both Shang and Zhou Dynasties only the King had access to bronze, how these bronze pieces were used differed. While it is known that the Shang used bronze pieces as funerary offerings, the Zhou did not use any of their bronze in their celebration of the dead. As mentioned previously, bronze pieces were used as heirlooms in the Zhou noble elite.

Each bell was made using the section-mold technique, using stone molds that would be destroyed after every bronze pour. The frames holding the bells are supported by bronze warriors and are embellished by lacquer paintings of red, yellow, and black and are embossed. The bells and structure feature multiple dragon motifs, tiger motifs, and the thunder spiral motif as well. If it was not for the surprise discovery of this tomb in 1978, archaeologists would have not been aware of the minor vassal state of Zeng. Engraved into the set is the quote: "Marquis Yi of Zeng made this. Cherish it."

The tomb of Emperor Nintoku was also discovered in the 1970s, along with the First Emperor's tomb. This tomb is a lot more recent, being constructed around 600 years after the construction of the First Emperor's tomb. This tomb also has a mound of earth that covers the underground burial site. From the fourth to the eighth centuries in Japan, this style of burial was common, making this period in Japanese history known as the Kofun period. Emperor Nintuko was buried in a wooden coffin and with an assortment of goods for the afterlife, like his Chinese counterpart.

The most profound difference between the two emperor's tombs is the terra-cotta army and the haniwa that decorated Emperor Nintoku's tomb. While the terra-cotta soldiers were incredibly detailed, over six feet tall, and of an organic style. On the other hand, the haniwa (clay cylindrical decorations) have minimal details, are at most around four feet, and of a formal style. It is apparent that molds were used in the creation of the First Emperor's terra-cotta army, while the haniwa of the Kofun period were created solely by hand.

The Lady was buried in four coffins, the largest being a plain wooden structure. The other three are all painted lacquer featuring multiple motifs to aid the Lady in the after-life. The largest of the three painted coffins is painted black with cloud imagery embellishing the burial site. Amongst the clouds are mythological creatures, communicating that the scene depicted is of the celestial realm of the East-Asian after-life. The mythological creatures in this realm are supposed to appear unnatural, or uncanny, to help the Lady encounter the strange ways of the journey into the after-life. The next smallest coffin in the series is painted with red lacquer. Like the larger coffin, this one is also decorated with mythological creatures as well as animals of earth. This coffin features deer, tigers, and ram motifs alongside the dragons and other supernatural entities. The smallest of the nesting coffins that held the body of Lady Dai is quite plain in appearance because it was shrouded with satin and silk that contain feather and mythological creature motifs. 

The story goes that Yuima falls ill and requests Siddhartha's presence, since Yuima was such a learned individual on the philosophy of Buddhism. Siddhartha could not entertain Yuima with his presence, so he requests that Monju, the bodhisattva of wisdom, go as a surrogate in place of Siddhartha. A large audience gathered to watch the debate between Yuima and the bodhisattva of wisdom.

Viewing this installation, Yuima is on the left-hand side. The way that Yuima is depicted is important in showing how foreigners were stylized by the Japanese at that time. Yuima has a long beard, bushy eyebrows, and a large nose, a caricature of someone of south-asian descent. On the right-hand side is Monju seated in a meditative state as Yuima talks. Monju wears jewelry and is sporting a ushnisha. The audience faces outwards to show the details in the sculptures and to include the viewer in the scene. Every sculpture was painted when they were initially created.