Tracing the Artistic Inspiration of the Han Dynasty in Ancient China from the Motifs of the Parthian Era (With Emphasis on Archaeological Findings and Historical Texts)
1
Assistant Professor, Research for Culture, Art and Communication Institute, Tehran, Ira
2
Tehran City Department of Education and Training
Abstract
Throughout human history, political and commercial interactions among civilizations and political powers have often provided a context for the transmission of cultural and artistic elements. Against this background, the present study examines the influence of Parthian art on the art of the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). The central question of the study concerns the cultural effects of the interactions between the two major powers of the ancient world—namely, the Parthian Empire in Iran and the Han Dynasty in China—and the artistic motifs and techniques that may have been exchanged as a result of these contacts. Based on historical and archaeological evidence, it appears that Han artists incorporated Iranian motifs and combined them with indigenous elements, thereby producing new and distinctive forms in comparison with those of their predecessors. The study employs a descriptive-comparative method with a historical approach, drawing on published historical documents and archaeological evidence. Its theoretical framework is based on the Theory of Cultural Transmission and the Model of Artistic Influence in Parallel Empires. The findings indicate significant evidence of the indirect transmission of ideas and techniques from Parthian Iran to China in four major areas: glazed pottery, rider-and-horse motifs, griffin (winged lion) imagery, and textiles
panahi, Y. & Hosseinzadeh, T. (2026). Tracing the Artistic Inspiration of the Han Dynasty in Ancient China from the Motifs of the Parthian Era (With Emphasis on Archaeological Findings and Historical Texts). (e254371). Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient, (), e254371 https://doi.org/10.22034/jaco.2026.584469.1545
MLA
panahi, Y., & Hosseinzadeh, T. "Tracing the Artistic Inspiration of the Han Dynasty in Ancient China from the Motifs of the Parthian Era (With Emphasis on Archaeological Findings and Historical Texts)" .e254371 , Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient, , 2026, e254371. doi: 10.22034/jaco.2026.584469.1545
HARVARD
panahi Y., Hosseinzadeh T. (2026). 'Tracing the Artistic Inspiration of the Han Dynasty in Ancient China from the Motifs of the Parthian Era (With Emphasis on Archaeological Findings and Historical Texts)', Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient, (), e254371. doi: 10.22034/jaco.2026.584469.1545
CHICAGO
Y. panahi & T. Hosseinzadeh, "Tracing the Artistic Inspiration of the Han Dynasty in Ancient China from the Motifs of the Parthian Era (With Emphasis on Archaeological Findings and Historical Texts)," Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient, (2026): e254371, doi: 10.22034/jaco.2026.584469.1545
VANCOUVER
panahi Y., Hosseinzadeh T. Tracing the Artistic Inspiration of the Han Dynasty in Ancient China from the Motifs of the Parthian Era (With Emphasis on Archaeological Findings and Historical Texts). JACO. 2026;():e254371 (In Persian). doi: 10.22034/jaco.2026.584469.1545
