Buddha statues discovered in temples in the Red Sea region of Egypt – Greco-Roman era – Antiquities

       A recently discovered marble statue of Buddha at the Berenice Temple on the Red Sea shows links between Egypt and India during Roman times.
       A group of American-Polish archaeologists excavated the main early Roman temple (dedicated to the goddess Isis) in Berenice and discovered a marble Buddha statue in the temple courtyard.
       Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of the High Council of Antiquities, has argued that the newly discovered statues are clear evidence of trade between Egypt and India during the Roman Empire.
       He added that Egypt was at the center of the trade routes linking the Roman Empire with many parts of the ancient world, including India.
       Waziri added that several Roman-era ports on Egypt’s Red Sea coast engaged in trade, the most important of which was Berenice.
       According to him, ships from India were unloading in Berenice, loaded with products such as pepper, semi-precious stones, textiles and ivory.
       According to Waziri, the cargo was then transported by camel through the desert to the Nile.
       According to him, other ships delivered goods to Alexandria, and from there to other parts of the Roman Empire.
        The head of the Polish delegation, Mariusz Gwiazda, noted that the statue, 71 centimeters high, depicts a standing Buddha holding part of his clothes in his left hand. He added that there was a halo of sunlight around the Buddha’s head, indicating his bright heart, and next to it was a lotus flower.
       Gvyazda also described the exquisite craftsmanship of the statue, adding that it is considered the best evidence of Buddhism found in Egypt to date.
       “The Buddha statue is made of stone, probably quarried in the southern region of modern Istanbul (Turkey), it must have been carved on the site in Berenike and dedicated to the temple by one or more wealthy merchants from India,” he said.
       In addition to the statue, archaeologists have also found a Sanskrit inscription dated to the Roman Emperor Philip of Arabia (244-249 AD), said US Mission chief Stephen Sidbotham.
       He added that the inscription appears to be from a different era than the Buddha statue, which is from an earlier era.
        In addition, according to Sidebotham, archaeologists have found other inscriptions in the same temple. According to him, the inscriptions written in Greek date from the beginning of the first century AD to 305 AD. According to Sidebotham, they also found two coins from the 2nd century AD inside the temple. from the kingdom of Satavahanas in central India.
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