Strands of Early Asian Civilizations

The pattern underlying early Asian civilizations entails three strands. The first involves the origin and flowering of the indigenous states. Two can be identified: The earlier was centered in the Indus Basin and flourished during the fourth millennium B.C.E., before the cities were abandoned and the focus of Indian civilization moved to the Ganges (Ganga) and Yamuna Valleys. The later, and most durable began in catchments of the two great rivers of China, the Chang and the Huang. Here there was a twin development of agriculture, with rice dominating the balmier south and millet the colder north. Again cultural complexity developed in tandem in both areas, as did the early states, Xia and Shang in the central plains of the Huang River and Changjiang in the land bordering the Chang. The second strand involved the development of what might be termed “secondary civilizations” in areas that came under the influence of China, India, or both. While Chinese influence was strongly felt in Korea and Japan, the impact of Buddhism cannot be discounted. To the south, the states of the maritime Silk Road developed from indigenous chiefdoms, retaining their autonomy but prospering through the enriching influence of India and China. The same cross-fertilization of ideas between local inhabitants and foreign traders may be identified on the Silk Road itself.
The third and most complex contributor to the pattern of Asian civilization lies in the regions where east met west through the expansion of the Greek and Persian Empires and the intrusion of Sakas or Scythians, Kushans, and Hephthalite Huns. This region, centering on modern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and the basins of the Syr Dar’ya and Amu Dar’ya Rivers, is one of the most interesting areas, because of the variety of peoples, religions, languages, and cultures that came and went, each contributing and at the same time adapting to the ways of other societies.
Today Asia teems with humanity. Its billions of people speak thousands of languages. Its contribution to the development of the human species outweighs that of any other part of the globe: the domestication of rice, the largest mortuary complexes, two of the world’s great religions, massive temples, cast iron, paper, silk, writing, universities, totalitarian states, the crossbow, outstanding works of art—the list is endless. The development of Asian civilizations from their first foundations is a key to understanding Asia today.