FROM ALBUM NOTES by Stefano Fossati:
The Greek historian Herodotus mentions Gandhara as one of the most populous and wealthy provinces of the Persian Empire. The capital of Gandhara, Taxila, was a center where the Vedic (ancient Indian) and the Iranian learning and customs mingled.
In 327 B.C. Alexander of Macedon conquered this land during the war against the Persian Emperor Darius. This campaign began a long period of political control of the area by the Indo-Greek kingdoms and of commercial and cultural exchanges with the Mediterranean world and Asia, which lasted for centuries after the decline of the Indo-Greeks.
In this area, Buddhist art would flourish and develop unique characteristics. The art of Gandhara is notable for its striking stylistic qualities, many of which reflect complex connections to Greco-Roman and Parthian art. […]
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