The boddhisatva Avalokitesvara, with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes, about 950 AD (Musee Guimet, Paris) Under the Han Dynasty (about 200 BC to 200 AD), scholars working for [...]
Chinese moon cakes for the New Year When did Chinese New Year get started? People in China probably started to celebrate the New Year - the beginning of farming in [...]
Cheng-huang temple in the Forbidden City, Beijing (Ming Dynasty, ca. 1500s AD) Each city or village in China had its own Cheng-huang god to protect it, and a small temple [...]
Buddhism in China: Buddha from Western China, ca. 450 AD From India to China Buddhism first came to China from India around 500 AD, spreading through Central Asia along the [...]
The Shang Dynasty city wall around Zhengzhou (thanks to Gary Todd) There was a city wall of rammed earth around the Shang capital at An-yang, and around other cities like [...]
In 1500 AD, most people in China prayed to their traditional gods. The most accepted philosophy was Taoism. But many other people were Buddhists, and rejected Taoism. Because of the Mongol Empire [...]
Bamiyan Buddhas (Afghanistan, ca. 500 AD, now destroyed by the Taliban) - Central Asian religion Many different religions Central Asia's wide steppe is very easy to ride horses or camels [...]
In 1500 AD, most of the people in Africa worshipped traditional local gods. But local gods are appropriate for local chiefs; big empires tend to go with monotheistic religions. So as more [...]
Just as African kids did so long ago, you can also learn pieces of poetry or Quran verses or Bible verses or readings from the Torah by heart. Memorization is fun and [...]
Early African religion: Standing stones at Nabta Playa (modern Sudan), ca. 6000 BC Early African religion - what was the first religion? The earliest evidence we have for religious faith [...]
