Archaeologists were able to discover a 1,900-year-old Buddha statue in Berenike, an ancient Egyptian port city. The statue was found along the Red Sea's coast, and it could have been all the way from South Asia.
Prehistoric Buddha Statue
As per Live Science, Siddharta Gautama was depicted in the Buddha statue. Born as a prince, Siddharta Gautama lived roughly 2,550 years ago in South Asia and later renounced his riches to pursue enlightenment. Siddharta Gautama eventually became a Buddha, which translates to "enlightened one." This religion then gradually spread across the whole world.
The artifact is around 28 inches tall. It depicts the standing Buddha who is holding a part of his robes with his left hand. There is also a halo surrounding the Buddha's head, which seemingly indicates the Buddha's radiant mind.
Aside from the statue, a Sanskrit inscription was also recovered at the site.
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Rome-India Trade Relationship
The Smithsonian Magazine notes that researchers think that the Buddha statue was crafted in Alexandria. It was also found that the newly discovered statue dates to a time when Rome ruled over ancient Egypt.
During this period, there was an established trade relationship between both India and Rome. Ships from India would have carried pepper, ivory, textiles, and other items all the way to ancient Egypt.
The Greek Reporter explains that during the Roman era, several ports along the coasts of the Red Sea in Egypt were part of these trade relations. Among them was the port in Berenike, which had utmost importance and which was where ships from India arrived.
Other ships, on the other hand, would deliver the items to Alexandria and then other areas of the Roman Empire.
Live Science notes that the Buddha statue could have been made by South Asians who lived in Berenike. Moreover, though there are damages in the Sanskrit inscription, it may have been a dedication of some sort. The inscription dates back to the rule of emperor Marcus Julius Philippus, who ruled from 244 to 249 A.D.
Richard Salomon, a Sanskrit professor emeritus from the University of Washington in Seattle who was not involved in the discovery, notes that the new inscription and other finds show that a community of Indian merchants may have settled in the area. They were not just passing sojourners.
Philip Almond, an emeritus professor from the University of Queensland's Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and who did not participate in the discovery, notes that the find is extremely exciting. Prehistoric records show that there were Indians who lived in Alexandria, while these findings show that some of them practiced Buddhism.
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