68 (HD): Hercules and Buddha Walk into a Bar

Ancient Art Podcast, Ancient Worlds

Last time in episode 67 we learned all about a Buddhist relief carving in the Art Institute of Chicago. We met two Buddhas — one legendary and one historical — Dipankara and Shakyamuni. Now the promised bombshell. The reason you all came back. This muscular, shaggy-bearded, club-wielding brute next to Buddha. Why in the world in a Buddhist work of art does the legendary Greek hero Hercules make an appearance?

Image: Relief with Buddha Shakyamuni Meditating in the Indrashala Cave (top) and Buddha Dipankara (bottom), Gandharan region, Kushan period, 2nd/3rd century, Art Institute of Chicago, 2015.447.

For the transcript, image credits, and more, visit http://ancientartpodcast.org/68. Connect at http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast and http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston.