The old Great Walji in Central Asia used to be a triangular intersection of Greece, China, and India. Great Walji was on a midpoint of Silk Road and played an important role in the history of interchange between the west and the east. Furthermore, it was this region where many of 譯經師 and 初轉 of Buddhism that appeared in history of China were produced, which in turn they had huge effect on Buddhism of China. However, this area has been recognized as a part of Gandhara or that of China in traditional academic world. The fundamental reason of this is that Greek and Chinese cultures have little concern for other cultures, and those cultures tend to plunder and to take other cultures as a part of themselves. In addition, the whole history of Gandhara and India was understood and interpreted from the perspective of the western countries received the protection of Christianity when the westerns were invaded and plundered these areas. In contrast, this region was under the strong domination of the Soviet Union where was culturally secluded area comparing to other western countries so that it could escape from western Imperialism in U.K or France. The Communist Party in the Soviet Union that built up one of the strongest ruling systems adhered to closing academic attitudes.
This region did not start to open until the Soviet Union collapsed on 1991. Therefore, the study of historical relations or archeology in this region is in its infant stage. However, as I have discussed so far, we should admit that the culture of this region, in particular Buddhist art, was established their own cultural world although it is true that the culture was affected from those of Persia, Greece, China and India.
Buddhist art including statues of the Buddha and Buddhist pagoda, 譯經師 who transmitted and translated Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, and construction techniques are distinctive characteristics of this region. The construction techniques were developed incidentally as it was used to protect Buddhist temples where stones or timbers are used for important parts like columns and soil for the walls while stones or timbers are mainly used for Greek or Indian construction due to lack of building materials.

When a language and history are delivered from a culture to another culture which is totally different, it is significant to convey and accept them for the subsequent development of the culture. If the person who delivered Buddhist culture had not understood the culture and language both of India and of China in depth, Buddhism could not have flourished in China.
Also, Buddhist monks in Walji would have transmitted not only Buddhist culture of India itself but also the Buddhism culture with their historical and cultural knowledge to China. As Edvard Rtvelaze asserted, the development of art is connected with that of a state.
I argue that Mahayana Buddhism was newly created when the Buddhism of India faced and crashed with Zoroaster of Persia and theology and culture of Greece. I cannot totally deny that Mahayana Buddhism might be derived from ‘佛塔信仰’, which has been argued that that is the beginning of Mahayana Buddhism, among many theories, but this argument is rather doubtful in the respect that Mahayana Buddhism can embrace various thoughts and cultures. Besides, Mahayana Buddhism was originated and prospered in Gandhara and Bactria not in India. These regions were located in boarder of India so that various cultures were exchanged there.
Also, Mahayana Buddhism is a combination of ‘maha大’ which means ‘huge’ and ‘yana乘’ that means a wheelbarrow. Therefore, the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism was established under the harmonious settlement of cultural crashes.
The new Buddhist contents under Mahayana Buddhism (so called the establishment of “僞經”, a Buddhist scripture), thoughts of Buddhist Saint in religion of 彌勒, 觀音, 阿彌陀 differing from 阿羅漢 in the southern Buddhism, and a union with God are same as ‘梵我一如’ in Hinduism. Nevertheless, ‘梵我一如’ in Hinduism is absorbed and subordinated to God while the union of God and people in Zoroaster works under the equal relationship without any superiority of ranks. Hence, the religious system of Zoroaster, which values the union with God by taking the serious consideration of religious austerities, was tormented and found out a solution named “Mahayana Buddhism.”

Even though one culture accepted a leading culture from the outside, if people absorbed outside culture into their own culture and transmitted that to others, it should be understood as a distinct and independent culture.
The Great Walji was called ‘Bactria’, ‘Sogdia’, and ‘Toharistan’ and also called ‘康居’, ‘大夏’, ‘西域’, ‘大宛’, ‘胡’ in China. The Buddhist culture in the Great Walji of which names were various was not a subordinated or lower level of culture just limited to a certain region but upper one according to following reasons.
First, when it comes to manufacturing statues of the Buddha, they integrated Greek style and Chinese thoughts and made different style of Buddhist statues, which differs from that of Gandhara and Mathura. Also, the time was even same as Gandhara.
Second, when we consider “Lalitavistara 普曜經” in a Buddhist pagoda, accord of records proved in “ Great Tang Records on the Western Regions(大唐西域記)” written by Xuanzang(玄奘), and residual Buddhist pagodas, we notice that there was another reason and way to construct Buddhist pagodas, which are distinct from India.
Third, emulating architectural style from Greece and Persia, they built Buddhist temples, and that is transmitted to China and Korea in forms of “栱包樣式” and “丹靑”
Forth, as it is admitted in academic world, it was Central Asia where Mahayana Buddhist scriptures such as “Mahā-vaipulya- buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra 華嚴經” and “Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra 妙法蓮華經” were complied.
Fifth, almost half of 譯經師 who delivered those Mahayana Buddhist scriptures into China before Xuanzang in Tang Dynasty were from this region.

Therefore, I define Buddhist art in the Great Walji in this thesis as follows.
1. The Definition of the Great Walji
1) Historical time classification
(1) Emigration period of Scythians and Aryan – (2) Persian occupation period, (3) Greek occupation period starting from Alexander – (4) Ruling period of the Great Walji, and Kushan – (5) the later Kushan period(Hittite-Kushan) – (6) the 西域胡國 period of Turkic peoples(突厥族) including Kang (around 750 A.D. when 慧超 wrote 往五天竺國傳 and battle of Talas happened by 高仙芝)
2) Regional classification
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan (the north of Hindu Kush Mountains) are included.
3) Core cultures
If we suppose that political turbulent time is excluded and only cultural characteristics are considered, the main impetus of cultural development in the period is the culture of Buddhism. Hence, we argue that this is not lower level of culture that has been subject to “Buddhist Culture of Gandhara” so far, but far upper one named “Buddhist Culture of the Great Walji.”
4) Characteristics of the Great Walju culture.
These people well understood the culture and philosophy in Persia, Greek, China and India. Based on the understanding, they interpreted Buddha and Buddhism that was transmitted to this region within their cultural area, and built new statues of Buddha and Buddhist pagoda in their own style. Also, they understood Buddhism in the process of integration from historical, political, and cultural crashes. Based on that, they established and developed Mahayana Buddhism and give new grounds for interpretation of Buddhist scriptures and terminologies. They were creator and conduit of new Buddhist culture who made Mahayana Buddhist and culture of it flourish in this region by delivering culture of Buddhism to 三韓, Tibet, Vietnam as well as to China.

2. I conclude that Buddhist art consists of statues of Buddha, Buddhist pagoda, other ornaments, and architectural style of temples and decorating of those constructions, which are important factors that mark the Buddhist culture of the Great Walji.

• Ⅰ. 머리말 = 1
• 1. 대월지국 불교미술의 의의 = 1
• 2. 연구 동기 = 3
• 3. 연구 방법과 범위 = 5
• 1) 연구의 방법 = 5
• Ⅱ. 대월지국 불교 미술의 배경 = 8
• 1. 페르시아의 역사에 대한 槪觀(파르티아까지) = 8
• 2. 인도로(印度路) = 12
• 3. 고고학적 발굴을 통하여 본 중앙아시아의 문명의 발달 = 16
• 1) 중앙아시아에서의 아케메니아(Achaemenid) 시대의 예술 = 17
• 2) 헬레니즘시대의 예술작품들 = 23
• 3) 동전(주화)로 찾아보는 역사적 자료 = 24
• Ⅲ. 대월지(Great Yuezhi)의 이해와 그 예술 = 38
• 1. 대월지국에 대한 이해 = 38
• 1) 대월지국의 간략한 역사 = 38
• 2) 대월지국의 왕궁의 위치 문제 = 45
• 2. 월지(Yuezhi) 시대의 예술 = 51
• 1) 월지의 벽화와 조각 구성에 의한 고찰 = 51
• 2) 쿠샨시대의 예술 = 55
• Ⅳ. 대월지국의 불교문화와 간다라의 불교문화의 비교 = 65
• 1. 불상 = 65
• 1) 간다라와 마투라, 박트리아의 불상의 표현 기법 = 65
• 2. 탑 = 94
• 1) 일반적인 탑의 유래와 건축 기법 주장들 = 94
• 2) 박트리아지역의 탑의 건립 유래와 기법 = 95
• 3. 박트리아 테레미즈에서 발굴된 불교유적 = 103
• 1) 달베르진테파(Dalverzin-Tepa) 발굴 유적 = 103
• 2) 카라테파(Kara-Tepa) = 108
• 3) 화이쟈테파(Fayaz-Tepa) = 111
• Ⅵ. 맺는말 = 115
• 참고문헌 = 119
• Abstract = 123