India-Egypt ancient ties: Buddha statue's discovery points to deep civilisational links

India's Buddhist traditions left their trail of ascetic uniqueness in ancient Egypt. A statue of Buddha, the reverent ascetic who founded Buddhism, has been discovered in Egypt's seaport of Berenice on the Red Sea, about 900 km south of Cairo and nearly 3800 km west of ancient India's port city of Khambat in the present-day Gujarat state.

The Buddha statue, discovered by a Polish-US mission, sheds light on trade ties between larger West Asian region including ancient Egypt with ancient India.

The statue dates back to "the Roman era while digging at the ancient temple in Berenice," an antiquities ministry statement said on Wednesday.

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The find has "important indications over the presence of trade ties between Egypt and India during the Roman era", the head of Egypt's supreme antiquities council Mostafa al-Waziri said.

The statue, with part of its right side and its right leg missing, measures 71 centimetres (28 inches) in height and portrays Buddha with a halo around his head and a lotus flower by his side.

Waziri said Berenice was one of the largest seaports in Roman-era Egypt, and was often the destination for ships from India laden with spices, semi-precious stones, textiles and ivory.

Ancient India's trade network with West Asia

Around 1200 BC, the first pepper [exported from an Indian port] appears in the Egyptian record, positively identified from the dried fruits in the nostrils of the mummy of Ramesses II, commonly known as Ramesses the Great.

This is the first indication of a trade contact between Egypt and India.

Ample evidence has been unearthed that tells the maritime story of trade networks between ancient Asian civilisations, the ones that flourished on the banks Ganges and Indus and the ones that prospered on the both sides of Nile river.

The Greek and Latin inscriptions engraved on the walls of a cave in the Wadi Mineh area located in the eastern desert of Egypt about 700 km south of Cairo testify to the fact that Roman traders were travelling regularly to India by the turn of the millennium.

Egypt's recent archaeological discoveries

Egypt has unveiled many major archaeological discoveries in recent years, amid attempts to revive its vital tourism industry after years of political unrest and the Covid pandemic.

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However, critics say the flurry of excavations has prioritised finds that grab media attention over hard academic research.

The crown jewel in the government's plans is the long-delayed inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the pyramids in Giza.

The government plans to attract 30 million tourists a year by 2028, up from 13 million before the pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)

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