Egypt: Buddha statue discovered, sheds light on the ancient ties between India and Egypt
Archeologists found the Buddha statue in an ancient Egyptian town -Berenike. It was discovered by Polish-US Mission in 2016 and is believed to be from the 1st century AD. The statue shows strong indications of trade ties between Egypt and India during the Roman era.
The height of the statue is 28 inches. It depicts the Buddha with a halo around his head. The right side of the statue is missing, but what remains shows that it was originally portrayed with a lotus flower by its side.
Archeologists believe that the statue was brought to Egypt during Emperor Ashoka’s reign, between 269 BCE and 232 BCE. During this time, Ashoka sent emissaries throughout his empire and beyond in order to spread Buddhism. In fact, some of these edicts refer directly to relations with Egypt:
India’s global footprint is no secret. It has been interacting with the world for millennia, trading goods and ideas, and sharing cultures and religions.
In fact, India was one of the first nations on Earth to widely spread its culture. The tradition continues even today. An example is Indian food, which is becoming popular around the world.
An investigation of stolen artifacts from India started in 2014 by the Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA). Since then, over 200 artifacts have been retrieved from countries around the world, like UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and France.
As you can see, Egypt’s quest to uncover artifacts has shown how much of a relationship it shared with India. Egypt was a very popular travel destination in the past. So, this move is important for this ancient nation to revive their tourism sector.