When you purchase through links on our site , we may make an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it works .
A 1,900 - year - old statue of the Buddha — expose at the ancient Egyptian port city of Berenike , on the coast of the Red Sea — probably belonged to a transplant from South Asia , according to archaeologists .
The Buddha statue depictsSiddhartha Gautama , who lived in South Asia around 2,550 long time ago . Born a prince , he would later renounce his blase wealth and assay out enlightenment , eventually becoming the Buddha , a Sanskrit - infer word that think " the edify one , " fit in to Buddhist tradition . The faith he founded gradually distribute around the world .
The newfound statue date to between A.D. 90 and 140 , saidSteven Sidebotham , a account prof at the University of Delaware who is co - director of the Berenike Project , told Live Science in an e-mail .
The 28 - inch - tall ( 71 centimeters ) statue picture the Buddha stand and holding office of his robes in his left hand , representatives from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities say in astatement . A halo is shown behind him , with sun shine downward . In addition to the statue , a freestanding Sanskrit dedication was found at Berenike , the ministry noted .
The statue dates to a time when the Roman Empire controlledEgypt . There was considerable business deal between Egypt and India during that clock time , the ministry notice , add that ships from India would bring ivory , capsicum and textiles , among other products , to Egypt .
Related : Mystery of ' impossible ' ancient Egyptian statue may be solved
It ’s possible that the Buddha statue was made locally by multitude from South Asia experience in Berenike , Sidebotham say . While the Sanskrit inscription is damaged , it looks like a dedication of some form and go out back to the meter of the Roman emperor Marcus Julius Philippus ( better be intimate as " Philip the Arab " ) , who rule from A.D. 244 to 249 , Sidebotham said .
Sidebotham and his fellow worker are now in the process of publishing their finds from Berenike ; more information will be released after publication , he noted .
" The new Sanskrit lettering and associated find now show clearly that there was a settle down Indian merchant residential area , rather than just trader draw through,“Richard Salomon , professor emeritus of Sanskrit at the University of Washington in Seattle who was not involve in the finding , told Live Science .
— 10 time ancient Egyptian discoveries awed us in 2022
— 3,300 - year - old ancient Egyptian grave and chapel with ' astonishing ' decorations excavate at Saqqara
— This may be one of the oldest Buddhistic temples ever discovered
Philip Almond , emeritus prof at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at The University of Queensland in Australia who is not involved with the discovery , ring it " a very exciting find . " Ancient historical criminal record designate that there were Indians be in Alexandria , Almond note , and this discovery indicates that some of the Indians endure in Egypt were Buddhists .
The other co - directors of the Berenike Project areRodney Ast , a researcher at the University of Heidelberg in Germany , andOlaf Kaper , an Egyptology professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands . A permit from the project was granted by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities through the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology in Cairo .
