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Interesting article about Chinese archaeological projects outside of China and the motifs behind those projects. Among the examples given are joint Kenyan and Chinese research along the Swahili coast.
quote:Abstract
From the mountains of Central Asia to the jungles of Mesoamerica, Chinese archaeologists are now conducting fieldwork around the world. China’s increasing involvement in world archaeology is a positive development for both heritage management and archaeological research. However, this new trend of joint Sino-foreign archaeological fieldwork is also situated within a larger political context. In this article, we examine how Chinese archaeological missions abroad help China achieve its geostrategic objectives. We present two case studies, one along the Swahili Coast in Kenya and another along the ancient Silk Road in Uzbekistan, to support our argument that Chinese involvement in archaeological projects in foreign countries often neatly dovetails with China’s foreign policy initiatives, which aim to build stronger economic and cultural ties with countries that host expanding Chinese markets. In sum, Chinese archaeology’s rapid internationalization is oriented towards growing China’s soft power and will likely play an even larger role in shaping global archaeological practice in the future
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A news report from 2017 about the discovery of skeletons of eventual Chinese extraction found on an island of the coast of Kenya.
quote:Xinhua News Agency, Lamu, Kenya, July 28 (Reporter Wang Xiaopeng Lu Duobao)
At the first "International Forum on the Connection between Ancient and Modern China and East Africa" opened on Manda Island, Lamu County, Kenya on July 28, a joint archaeological team composed of experts from China, the United States and Kenya announced the discovery of three human skeletons with Chinese blood on Manda Island. One of them may have lived in the era of Zheng He's voyages to the West.
American archaeologist Chap Kusimba said in an interview with reporters that this is the first time that archaeologists have discovered ancient human bone remains of Chinese blood in East Africa. Zhu Tiequan, an associate professor at the School of Sociology and Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University who participated in the excavation, said that the human bone remains found on Manda Island had spade-shaped incisors unique to East Asians, and were identified by DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) technology as being of Chinese descent.
Zhu Tiequan said that using carbon-14 dating techniques, the results showed that among the three human skeleton remains, one of them lived at the same time as Zheng He's voyages, while the other two lived at a later date.
According to Chinese historical records, Zheng He led his fleet to make seven voyages to the "Western Ocean" in the 15th century, visiting more than 30 countries in Asia and Africa, and reaching as far as Malindi (now Malindi, Kenya) and Manbasa (now Mombasa, Kenya) on the east coast of Africa, which became a great feat in the history of world navigation.
Zhu Tiequan said that this archaeological discovery provided new evidence for exploring whether Zheng He's fleet had been to Manda Island and whether any crew members stayed on the island. The joint archaeological team conducted the first archaeological excavation at the Manda Island construction site in December 2012. In addition to human bones, the archaeological team also discovered ancient city ruins, Chinese ceramics from different periods, Chinese beads, Ming Yongle Tongbao, etc.
Zhan Changfa, secretary-general of the China Foundation for Cultural Relics Conservation, who attended the forum, said that the mutual reference of archeology and anthropology and the application of various natural science and technology played a key role in this archaeological excavation.
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I hope this doesn't become the Chinese version of the Nazi Ahnenerbe. Posts: 26385 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: I hope this doesn't become the Chinese version of the Nazi Ahnenerbe.
The Chinese having a presence in East Africa during the medieval period shouldn't be that shocking given the commercial ties between the regions. On the other hand, it is absolutely true that East Asian ethno-nationalists have every bit the same penchant for insane historical revisionism as any hotep who ever posted here on ES. There are those Koreans who think the Sumerians were of Korean origin, for example, and then there are the Chinese who think their civilization came from Egypt. I wouldn't put it past the CCP to embrace such nonsense for nationalistic purposes.
China is also participating in excavations in Egypt. It would be interesting to see if some ethnonationalists try to twist the results obtained there.
quote: Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 21 (Reporters Qu Ting and Tong Fang)
80 years after Mr. Xia Nai, the founder of Chinese archaeology, visited the ruins of the Temple of Mentu in Egypt, the archaeological teams of the two ancient civilizations of China and Egypt officially launched a historic cooperative excavation.
In Xia Nai’s diary, he described the situation on February 4, 1938: he bypassed the famous Temple of Amun and spent a day inspecting the Temple of Mengtu, which was seldom visited by people at that time, and the donkey driver who brought him “felt surprised”.
In October this year, under the bright sunshine of Giza, Egypt, the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities signed the "China-Egypt Luxomuntu Temple Joint Archaeological Project Agreement". According to this five-year agreement, China became the 12th international archaeological team in the Luxor region.
Dr. Mustafa Sakhir, the person in charge of the Karnak Temple area in Egypt, once visited the Liangzhu site, and was very impressed by the skills of Chinese archaeologists in excavating ancient relics from the ground: "We hope that the experience and technology of Chinese archaeology can be used in Egypt as soon as possible."
quote: The joint Egyptian-Chinese archeological mission has achieved significant results at Montu Temple in the Karnak Temple Complex of Egypt's monument-rich city of Luxor, says an Egyptian official. Mustafa al-Saghir, director-general of Karnak Temple Complex Antiquities, told Xinhua in a recent interview that "although the joint Egyptian-Chinese mission has been working for two seasons only, it has achieved very significant results at the temple." The mission is doing excavations through which the architectural elements of the temple are being revealed, he said.
"There are also restoration works in many parts of the temple... the mission is also conducting special studies such as the study of pottery and inscriptions found in the temple and its buildings," the official added.
posted
Here is a video about a temple where Chinese and Egyptian archaeologists work together:
quote: Egyptian Archaeologist speaks on Montu Temple and the Egyptian-Chinese First Archaeological Mission working in Karnak.
Archaeologist/Egyptologist Mr. Saad Bekhit talks on Montu temple site and the first time cooperation in the field of archaeology with Chinese archaeologists.
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^ Okay, I don't know how that conversation went there, but to be optimistic it could be that the Chinese out of competition are trying to replace the Japanese in terms of academics including fieldwork like archaeology.
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^^The archaeological work in other countries is a part of Chinas increased presence in the world, both economically but also culturally. In some cases one also want to point out ancient contacts and connections between China and different countries one works in, like Kenya, or countries in Central Asia. Ancient history and foreign politic blend into each other.
Archaeology is a part of an effort to create political, economic and cultural contacts and influence. And as you say they may want to be a leading country also in academics.
And of course it also gives Chinese archaeologists a chance to get out in the world, broaden their views and create connections with colleagues in other countries.
quote: In the 1990s, Chinese archeology opened the door to "opening up to the outside world". The China-US Shangqiu Archaeology, a collaboration between the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, is the first truly Sino-foreign cooperative field archaeological project.
Wang Wei, director of the Foreign Archaeological Research Center of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and chairman of the Chinese Archaeological Society, said that in the past ten years, Chinese archaeologists have begun to go abroad for investigation and excavation sporadically. The "Belt and Road" initiative has accelerated the "going out" of archaeology, and now China has carried out archaeological work in more than 20 countries outside the country.
posted
Btw it would be interesting to read the full reports on the finding of the three Chinese skeletons in Kenya and also the result of the DNA samples taken from them. Maybe the reports are available somewhere.
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quote: American archaeologist Chap Kusimba said in an interview with reporters that this is the first time that archaeologists have discovered ancient human bone remains of Chinese blood in East Africa. Zhu Tiequan, an associate professor at the School of Sociology and Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University who participated in the excavation, said that the human bone remains found on Manda Island had spade-shaped incisors unique to East Asians, and were identified by DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) technology as being of Chinese descent.
quote: According to the team, the skeletons, altogether three of them, had front teeth that are exclusive for the East Asians and after DNA analysis, they concluded that the skeletons were associated with Chinese blood.
It seems as these results were presented at the International Conference on the Ancient and Contemporary Relations between China and East Africa which was held between 17th -19th July 2017 at Manda Island, Lamu. Kenya, but I have not seen any in depth article or scientific paper about the results.
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About the three skeletons from Manda that could be Chinese, here is a note about their DNA
quote: Manda Operation #8 has strong evidence of both upper central and lateral incisor shoveling not observed in a significant frequency or extent as part of Afridenty (Irish 1997 and 2013; Scott and Irish 2017). Preliminary unpublished DNA analysis by Yu Dong at Sun Yet Sun University, China shows that in three out of ten samples from Manda, there are genetic connections to East Asia.
From
Monge, Janet et al 2020: Population affinities: The skeletal and dental evidence
In: Kusimba, et al 2020: China and East Africa: Ancient Ties Contemporary Flows , p 73
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: The Maritime Silk Road was traditionally said to have started in the 2nd century BCE and flourished until the 15th century CE, but the above findings indicate it started by the 6th century BCE if not earlier!
It explains how the maritime trade or thalassocracy was begun by sea nomads probably Ausstronesian speakers around the Isthmus of Kra.
Considering the above info, what are the chances that the East Asian presence were Austronesians instead of Chinese? Of course in regards to odontic Austronesians were sundadont while Chinese are sinodont.
Also, I can't help but get the feeling that the Chinese will use these historical ties to assert their (colonial) occupation in East Africa.
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^^ Yes, it suits the Chinese well to say that they have been present at the East coast of Africa since ancient times so they can claim old ties with countries like Kenya and Tanzania. They also let students from these countries come to China and study so they later can be a sort of ambassadors for China in their own countries.
About the above mentioned samples I hope they will publish a full study and description, both of morphology and DNA.
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quote:Originally posted by alTakruri: __________________________
Now in the 12th year, in a corner of the Western Seas, in the stagnant waters of a great morass, Truly was produced a qilin (ch'i-lin), whose shape was as high as fifteen feet. With the body of a deer and the tail of an ox, and a fleshy, boneless horn, With luminous spots like a red cloud in a purple mist. Its hoofs do not tread on living beings and in its wanderings it carefully selects its ground. It walks in stately fashion and in its every motion it observes a rhythm, Its harmonious voice sounds like a bell or a musical tube. Gentle is this animal, that has in antiquity been seen but once, The manifestation of its divine spirit rises up to heaven's abode. Ministers and people together vie to be the first to gaze upon the joyous spectacle, a true token of Heaven's aid and a proclamation of Heaven's favour. How glorious is the Sacred Emperor whose literary and military virtues are most excellent, who has succeeded to the Precious Throne and has achieved Perfect Order in imitation of the Ancients.
Painting with Poem by Shen Du (1357-1434)
As far as I'm aware the propaganda by China started by 2006.
Is this young Kenyan Chinese descendant? (China Daily) Updated: 2005-07-11 09:18 Nearly 600 years ago, 20 Chinese sailors swam ashore an island off Kenya's east coast, having escaped from a shipwreck.
They went on to marry local women and convert to Islam.
Now a 19-year-old girl who claims to be one of their descendants has come to China to study, having been given a scholarship by the Chinese Government.
Mwamaka Sharifu, from Lamu island in Kenya, will begin her studies in September.
She says she is a descendant of sailors travelling with Chinese explorer Zheng He (1371-1435) in the Ming Dynasty.
Sharifu's story has attracted a lot of attention, as this year is the 600th anniversary of Zheng's first major voyage around the Indian Ocean. Some scholars believe Zheng is the first man to travel a direct sea route linking the Indian Ocean with the West.
Countless exhibitions, books and documentaries began coming out in China about his adventures. Sharifu was invited to China and arrived on July 1.
"I feel proud and happy to be part of it," she said. "I am looking forward to studying in China."
Sharifu said she admires Zheng's courage and adventurous spirit. "I was born as brave as my ancestors," she said. "It is rare for girls in my Muslim village to go so far to study, to such a big and different country."
"My mum and dad were worried about me. But I told them I will be fine in my home country."
Born to a poor family, Sharifu's father, Sharifu Lali, a fisherman, 55, and her mother Baraka Badi Shee, a housewife, 53, couldn't support her university education.
"The scholarship will change my life and the lives of the rest of my family," she said. "I believe that through hard work - a characteristic of the Chinese - I can make a better living."
Having already been to Shanghai, Taicang and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, Sharifu appeared quiet when arriving in Beijing on Friday, where she will tour the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square.
"China is far better than I thought. It is so beautiful and well-planned," she said.
"Beijing is a big city," Sharifu added. "But Taicang city will always be a special place for me as it is said it is where my ancestors came from."
Located in East China's Jiangsu Province, Taicang is where Zheng set sail from.
Legend in Lamu Island says two of the Chinese ships struck rocks off the eastern coast of Kenya and 20 sailors swam ashore. However, local tribes said they could only stay if they could kill a big python in the village.
One sailor - a master swordsman - lured the python out of the cave and killed it. The Chinese sailors stayed, married local women and converted to Islam.
The heritage of Chinese descendants in the African village has been passed on from generation to generation, not by written records but by oral tradition.
"My grandma said some Chinese sailors came to Kenya by way of the Indian Ocean. Most of them died after a storm at sea but some survived," Sharifu recalled.
Now, only six people on the island of 7,500 people are known as Chinese descendants. They are Sharifu, her mother, her two sisters and two younger brothers. However, despite Chinese porcelain being unearthed on the island and the existence of Chinese folklore there, it is not known if the group really are descendants of Zheng's sailors.
Sharifu said that in 2002 some Chinese experts came to her home and cut some of her mother's hair for DNA tests in China. Later, she said, they told her mother that she was a Chinese descendant.
The teenager was calm when being questioned about her Chinese blood, saying that people have a right to doubt her. "Asking questions will help people know more about me. And I am convinced that I am a true Chinese descendant."
Sharifu's story was put under the spotlight after she wrote a letter to the Chinese Embassy in Kenya last year, expressing her wish to pursue a higher education in China.
"I want to learn traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) so that I can treat my people in Kenya after graduation," she explained.
The Muslim girl wore a grey silk scarf around her neck.
"When I was in Kenya, I used to wear the scarf on my head. But now I keep it lower, because I think people here like to see me."
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posted
Yes that girl has become quite famous, I have seen several articles about her. I have heard that someone even wrote a novel inspired by her story.
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quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: ^ Of course! LOL I'm sure there are those eager to cash in on the situation.
Yes, imagine being able to go to China and study, and the Chinese state will cover your costs. Maybe the only demand from them is that you do not publicly criticize China or its political system. And that you now and then let yourself be interviewed in Chinese media, saying how great everything is.
And then newspapers and even authors will get a bit of the cake, selling the story.
And for China it is goodwill in the countries the students come from.
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As discussed in this thread and also shown in the nice film you posted, the most famous visits to East Africa by the Chinese are the ones by admiral Zheng He in the 15th century. Much of the documentation from those voyages are unfortunately lost, but there exist a couple of stelae, and at least three books by people who took part in the expeditions.
One is called The Overall Survey of the Star Raft and was written by Fei Chin
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: I hope this doesn't become the Chinese version of the Nazi Ahnenerbe.
The Chinese having a presence in East Africa during the medieval period shouldn't be that shocking given the commercial ties between the regions. On the other hand, it is absolutely true that East Asian ethno-nationalists have every bit the same penchant for insane historical revisionism as any hotep who ever posted here on ES. There are those Koreans who think the Sumerians were of Korean origin, for example, and then there are the Chinese who think their civilization came from Egypt. I wouldn't put it past the CCP to embrace such nonsense for nationalistic purposes.
Like so many others one or another author of Chinese descendancy (and others too) have speculated about ancient Chinese contacts with the Americas. One is Mike Xu who thought he saw similarities between Olmec glyphs and signs on ancient Chinese oracle bones
quote: Some researchers have argued that the Olmec civilization came into existence with the help of Chinese refugees, particularly at the end of the Shang dynasty. In 1975, Betty Meggers of the Smithsonian Institution argued that the Olmec civilization originated around 1200 BCE due to Shang Chinese influences. In a 1996 book, Mike Xu, with the aid of Chen Hanping, claimed that celts from La Venta bear Chinese characters. These claims are unsupported by mainstream Mesoamerican researchers.
As of today Chinese archaeologists work with excavation of Maya sites in Copan in Honduras. Some of them seems to have an interest in the idea about potential connections between the Chinese and Maya civilizations.
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^ I've heard of the legend that Chinese sailed to the Pacific coast of America, but only that it was in North America specifically California. I haven't heard of the Mexican theory, though I do know that Polynesians reached the Americas far earlier and there is evidence of Polynesian presence in the coasts of both Mexico and South America.
Also, I'm trying to figure out which states in Africa the Chinese did trade with. The only ones I'm familiar with is Axum in Ethiopia and the Swahili States along the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, etc.
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About Polynesian contacts. Seems that Native Americans can have reached out to Polynesia too, since researchers found Native American DNA in Polynesia. They calculate that it can have come there during the 13th century.
Actually already Thor Heyerdahl had thoughts of Amerindians sailing from South America to Polynesia, and he also showed that such a voyage was possible with his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947.
DNA analyzes suggests DNA from Native Americans on Rapa Nui and as far away as the South Marquesas archipelago.
Exactly where and when Polynesians and Native Americans first met is not fully clarified yet, but the relations are interesting.
About Chinese reaching the Americas; There is a book by Gavin Menzies where he claims that Zheng He´s fleet may have sailed all the way to the Americas. But this theory has been met with great skepticism from the scientific community, to say the least.
About the Chinese in East Africa it seems to be a popular field of research, especially in these days of China establishing themselves in the area. Probably we can expect to see more Chinese archaeologists working in East Africa in the future.
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posted
In another thread I also posted this about contact between Austronesian peoples and East Africa:
A study showing contact between Austronesian peoples and the Comoros
quote: At the dawn of the second millennium, the expansion of the Indian Ocean trading network aligned with the emergence of an outward-oriented community along the East African coast to create a cosmopolitan cultural and trading zone known as the Swahili Corridor. On the basis of analyses of new genome-wide genotyping data and uniparental data in 276 individuals from coastal Kenya and the Comoros islands, along with large-scale genetic datasets from the Indian Ocean rim, we reconstruct historical population dynamics to show that the Swahili Corridor is largely an eastern Bantu genetic continuum. Limited gene flows from the Middle East can be seen in Swahili and Comorian populations at dates corresponding to historically documented contacts. However, the main admixture event in southern insular populations, particularly Comorian and Malagasy groups, occurred with individuals from Island Southeast Asia as early as the 8th century, reflecting an earlier dispersal from this region. Remarkably, our results support recent archaeological and linguistic evidence-based suggestions that the Comoros archipelago was the earliest location of contact between Austronesian and African populations in the Swahili Corridor.
Brucato, N. et al 2017: ´The Comoros Show the Earliest Austronesian Gene Flow into the Swahili Corridor´ AJHG
quote: Admixture Scenario for Populations along the Swahili Corridor as Estimated by GLOBETROTTER and ADMIXTURE
Dark red arrows represent Swahili gene flow; light green arrows represent Island Southeast Asian Banjar or Malay; a yellow arrow represents Middle Eastern gene flow; and the purple arrow represents gene flow from the Horn of Africa. The pink arrow represents gene flow from central and southern Bantu speakers. Dates refer to the last detectable admixture event; dates below pie charts refer to the admixture event between the Swahili and Banjar or Malay; dates in italics represent secondary gene flow. Sex-biased gene flows are represented by male and female symbols in the tip of the arrows; note that they are not present in Malagasy Antemoro and Comorian Moheli.
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posted
^ Yes, I showed that in the Maritime Silk Road map I posted above. The dominant ethnic group in Madagascar are the Malagasy people who are a mixture of Indonesian settlers mixed with indigenous Africans. The Malagasy language is itself a dialect of Dayak languages spoken in Borneo. So no I'm not surprised about the findings in the Comoros. Austronesians were the pioneers of the Indian Ocean trade between Africa and East Asia during the 1st Millennium before the Chinese.
This is why I was curious if the dental evidence the Chinese found off the coasts of Kenya were truly Chinese or Austronesian.
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In the news articles it says that one of the skeletons is from the same time as Zheng He's voyages, while the other two lived at a later date. And the article says that the DNA suggests Chinese, or at least East Asian origin. But it would be interesting to see a report with more details about the skeletons and the context around the findings.
In the book by Kusimba et al they also talk about a coin from sometimes between 1403 and 1424 of a type which were carried only by the envoys of the Chinese emperor. It is interpreted as a sign of Chinese presence.
Here is an older notice about a coin found on Manda:
I hope they make more findings which can tell more about these contacts.
About which African states the Chinese had contact with, some authors have suggested that there were indirect contacts between China and Egypt already before the 6th or 7th century BC, mediated by other peoples. It is mentioned in another book about Chinas contacts with Africa. The first African state to send an envoy to China was Axum in the first century AD, according to the same book.
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: ^ Chinese trade with Africa began around the middle of the 8th Century CE and peaked around the 9th-10th Centuries.
Now in the 12th year, in a corner of the Western Seas, in the stagnant waters of a great morass, Truly was produced a qilin (ch'i-lin), whose shape was as high as fifteen feet. With the body of a deer and the tail of an ox, and a fleshy, boneless horn, With luminous spots like a red cloud in a purple mist. Its hoofs do not tread on living beings and in its wanderings it carefully selects its ground. It walks in stately fashion and in its every motion it observes a rhythm, Its harmonious voice sounds like a bell or a musical tube. Gentle is this animal, that has in antiquity been seen but once, The manifestation of its divine spirit rises up to heaven's abode. Ministers and people together vie to be the first to gaze upon the joyous spectacle, a true token of Heaven's aid and a proclamation of Heaven's favour. How glorious is the Sacred Emperor whose literary and military virtues are most excellent, who has succeeded to the Precious Throne and has achieved Perfect Order in imitation of the Ancients.
Painting with Poem by Shen Du (1357-1434)
Also Zheng He mentions a giraffe and other animals on a stela erected in Changle, Fujian province in China:
quote:V. In the fifteenth year of Yongle (1417) commanding the fleet we visited the western regions. The country of Hulumosi (Ormuz) presented lions, leopards with gold spots and large western horses. The country of Adan (Aden) presented qilin (giraffe) as well as the long-horned. The country of Mugudushu (Mogadishu) presented huafu lu ("striped" zebras) as well as lions. The country of Bulawa (Brava) (near Kenya) presented camels which run one thousand li as well as camel-birds (ostriches). They all vied in presenting the marvellous objects preserved in the mountains or hidden in the seas and the beautiful treasures buried in the sand or deposited on the shores. Some sent a maternal uncle of the king, others a paternal uncle or a younger brother of the king in order to present a letter of homage written on gold leaf as well as tribute.
Zheng He's stele from Tianfei Ling, Changle (near Fuzhou), Fujian. This is a modern replica, seen along with other steles in the Stele Pavilion of the Treasure Boat Shipyard in Nanjing.
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Trade between East Africa and Asia goes back to at least Meroe and Kush. The Periplus of the Eryrthrean (Eritrean) Sea documents this trade with Asia in the 1st century BC.
The Meroitic Empire: Trade and Cultural Influences in an Indian Ocean Context
quote: Indian Ocean Trade
We know from written sources that the Ptolemies and later the Romans sent trading expeditions from Egyptian ports such as Myos Hormos and Berenike in the north, which stopped at Red Sea ports like Adulis in the south, where they collected objects of trade from the African interior. From the second to first centuries BCE, the number of ships that sailed to India increased to more than a hundred annually. Berenike as well as Adulis thus became meeting points between India and Egypt. The Meroitic state was involved in furnishing goods for this trade, probably brought from the African savannah in the west as well as Southern Sudan. The goods included ivory, ebony, rhinoceros horn, leopard and other skins, ostrich feathers, gold and slaves (Arkell 1961; Phillips 1997; see also Thapar 1966, p. 114, for the importance of ivory and gold). The port of Adulis was a central outlet for ivory from the African hinterland; the Periplus (see below) has a brief description of Adulis. Interestingly, Kirwan (1972, p. 166 quoted in Munro-Hay 1982) suggests that ivory from beyond the Nile was brought through Kueneion—possibly modern Sennar, located along the Blue Nile—to Axum. The ivory at Adulis was also brought via Axum, according to the Periplus (pp. 107–108) (see Phillips 1997, p. 450 for further reference).
Most of our information on this early trading network comes from a single source, the Periplus Maris Erythraei (the southern Red Sea, together with the Indian Ocean, was known as the Erythraean Sea). This is a handbook written in Greek by an anonymous author, most likely a sea captain, who comments on the winds, port locations, political situation, peoples and goods along the way, as well as favoured harbours on the Red Sea, African and Indian coasts of the Indian Ocean (Sidebotham 2011, p. 14). Prahba Ray (2003, p. 170), in discussing the significance of written texts such as the Periplus, finds that the correct spelling of names from the Indian subcontinent shows that the writer had travelled the area quite regularly.
That said I don't agree with the theory of this paper that the depictions of Apedemek are the result of Indian influence as many elements of Indo Buddhist art are found in the Nile thousands of years prior to Meroe. This includes lotus motifs, the eyes of Re and Heru, the black dot, the depictions of groups of prisoners with multiple arms and heads facing different directions. And there could be other obscure deities depicted this way as well from Kemet that no longer exist.
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Yes, these trading routes are quite interesting. For example are Indian merchants thought of being present in Berenice in Egypt in Roman time. It is thought that one of them can have ordered the Buddha statue which was found there. The Buddha is discussed in this thread:
Here is a vivid picture by artist Björn Landström which shows Roman ships waiting in the port of Aden for the monsoon winds that will carry them across the Indian Ocean to the trading cities of India.
The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea can be found online in an English translation
quote: The Periplus Maris Erythraei (or ‘Voyage around the Erythraean Sea’) is an anonymous work from around the middle of the first century CE written by a Greek speaking Egyptian merchant. The first part of the work (sections 1-18) describes the maritime trade-routes following the north-south axis from Egypt down the coast of East Africa as far as modern day Tanzania. The remainder describes the routes of the East-West axis running from Egypt, around the Arabian Peninsula and past the Persian Gulf on to the west coast of India. From the vivid descriptions of the places mentioned it is generally held that the author himself traveled to nearly all the lands he describes. The final chapters describe the East Coast of India as far north as the mouth of the Ganges and include reports the author had heard of the uncharted lands beyond. The author’s pattern is to describe the lengths and conditions of the routes, the key emporiums and anchorage points, the disposition of the locals, and the imports and exports of the region. Because the annual monsoon winds were the key factor in making the voyage to India the author will at times note the month (in both Greek and Egyptian) in which one should sail from Egypt.
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Upcoming review on recent developments in the archaeology of long-distance connections across the ancient Indian Ocean
quote:Scholarship on the ancient Indian Ocean, which stretches deep into the previous century, is available from an array of academic disciplines including but not limited to history, archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, art history, and materials science. It spans from prehistory to the present era and includes evidence ranging from the Mediterranean to East Asia. What binds together the world of Indian Ocean research is an enduring interest in the complex maritime-based links crosscutting this space and—for archaeologists—the movements of cultural elements (objects, ideas, people, etc.) that have left behind some material trace. Recent field projects and materials science studies have greatly expanded this material database, refining (and sometimes challenging) traditional interpretations about Indian Ocean maritime relations. This review presents a streamlined perspective, focusing on recent archaeological contributions about long-distance interregional connections across the Indian Ocean from 500 bce to 1000 ce.
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African archaeologists rewarded at the Fourth Shanghai Archaeology Forum in 2019
quote: The Shanghai Archaeology Forum (SAF) was established in 2013, by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) under the guidance of Professor Wang Wei (Institute of Archaeology, CASS; President of the Chinese Society of Archaeology) and Professor Chen Xingcan (Director, Institute of Archaeology, CASS). It receives additional sponsorship from the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the logistical and academic support of the Shanghai Academy, Shanghai University, and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage Administration. The Forum has five primary goals, of which the promotion of archaeological investigation of past cultures and civilizations in a comparative global perspective and the relevance of this knowledge to the contemporary world, is the central objective. Other aims are to encourage international collaboration and partnerships between academics and their publics to foster the development of archaeological research around the world; to draw insights from the past that can assist with tackling contemporary global challenges associated with the impacts of climate change, globalization, rapid urbanization, and loss of cultural diversity; to advocate for active engagement with the wider public and to advance public awareness and understanding of the significance of cultural heritage, globally; and to promote archaeological engagement in the development of public policy aimed at the protection and preservation of archaeological resources and cultural heritage. ------- The fourth SAF was held on December 14–17, 2019, with the theme “Archaeology of Urbanization and Globalization - The Past for the Common Future of Humankind” (Fig. 1). For the first time, two sub-Saharan African researchers were honored with awards. Professor Shadreck Chirikure (the University of Cape Town and the University of Oxford) received a Research Award for his ongoing research on “Archaeometry and Urbanism at Great Zimbabwe”, and Dr. Abidemi Babatunde Babalola (University of Cambridge) was awarded a Field Discovery Award for his continuing research on the “Archaeology of Glass in Sub-Saharan Africa”. Hearty congratulations to both of them for such justly deserved recognition!
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Interesting that these two African scholars were at Harvard and Oxford but their work hasn't been noted or published by those universities. Very interesting.
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Seems that Chiricue has some book published at Oxford University Press
The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Archaeology (2023)
His doctoral thesis was published at UCL in 2005:
Chirikure, S.; (2005) Iron production in Iron Age Zimbabwe: stagnation or innovation? Doctoral thesis , University of London.
Wiki has an entry about Shirikure: Shadreck Chirikure -- Babaloa has been published in Oxford research Encyclopedia: Babaloa, A. B. 202: `Glass Beads in West Africa` (Babalola, A. B. 2022), Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Anthropology,
His doctoral thesis is from Rice University:
BABALOLA, A.B. 2015. Archaeological Investigations of Early Glass Production at Igbo Olokun, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Rice University..
I do not find any of them when I search for publications at Harward.
Seems the Chinese have a somewhat different outlook on African scholarship. Maybe they more and more will become cooperation partners to African archaeologists and other African scholars.
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One of the places in Africa where Chinese archaeologists made findings: Makalia falls, Nakuru county, Kenya.
quote: This is the Paleolithic site discovered by Chinese archaeologists near Makaria Falls in Nakuru County, Kenya (photographed on October 4). The Chinese archaeological team on the origins of modern humans in Kenya recently discovered a Paleolithic site during its investigation in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. This is the first Paleolithic site discovered by Chinese archaeologists in Africa so far. The Paleolithic site is located near Makaria Falls in Nakuru County, Kenya's Rift Valley region. This discovery has been confirmed by archaeological experts from the National Museum of Kenya. Xinhua News Agency
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. More about the joint Kenyan and Chinese excavations and surveys in the Great Rift Valley
quote:This year marks the 10th anniversary of the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative. Driven by the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the mechanism of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China-Africa cultural exchanges and cooperation, including joint archaeology and cultural relic restoration, have become increasingly closer. In July 2017, Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, Shandong University and other units and the National Museum of Kenya formed a China-Kenya joint archaeological team on the origin of modern humans. For the first time, Chinese archaeologists have approached the home of ancient humans 200,000 years ago in a magical place like the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.
Since 2017, the joint archaeological team has conducted archaeological excavations at the Jimenji Stone Site and surrounding areas in Kenya. A total of more than 2,000 stone products and animal fossils of various types have been discovered, covering the early, middle and late Paleolithic periods, which are of great research value. . At present, the first phase of the archaeological work of the project has been completed and the expected goals have been achieved.
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Chinese scientists partake more and more in international studies. A recent example is a study about human dispersals out of Africa through Sinai and the Levant more than 80 000 years ago. In this study scientists from China, Australia and Jordan cooperated.
quote:Abstract Homo sapiens dispersed from Africa into Eurasia multiple times in the Middle and Late Pleistocene. The route, across northeastern Africa into the Levant, is a viable terrestrial corridor, as the present harsh southern Levant would probably have been savannahs and grasslands during the last interglaciation. Here, we document wetland sediments with luminescence ages falling in the last interglaciation in the southern Levant, showing protracted phases of moisture availability. Wetland sediments in Wadi Gharandal containing Levallois artifacts yielded an age of 84 ka. Our findings support the growing consensus for a well-watered Jordan Rift Valley that funneled migrants into western Asia and northern Arabia.
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An article about Ancient Connections between China and East Africa
quote:Introduction Postcolonial relationships between China and Africa have revived interest in understanding early interactions between the two regions. African domesticates like millet and sorghum were domesticated in Asia as early as Shang (Yin) times while Asian domesticates like banana and rice found their way to Africa similarly early. There is, however, little archaeological evidence for more direct contact between East Africa and China. It has often been assumed that contact at this point was more indirect, through overland trade and migration across the Eurasian steppes, the same pathway that African hominids used in the initial migrations out of Africa. In more recent times, beginning from the Tang Dynasty (ca. AD 618-907), linkages between East Africa and China became more regular. The continuous occurrence of Chinese trade ceramics in dateable archaeological contexts at several key sites in East Africa from the Tang through Qing Dynasties (ca. AD 618-1912) points to a long, productive relationship between China and East Africa. My chapter reports on ancient Chinese ceramics excavated at Kenyan historic sites and discusses the potential of the long-term collaborative research agenda on ancient and contemporary relations between China and East Africa.
Kusimba, C. 2015: ´Ancient Connections between China and East Africa.´ In: Sarathi, A (ed) Early Maritime Cultures in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean
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A short report about a joint Chinese and Tunisian archaeological excavation in Tunisia.
quote:Chinese and Tunisian archeologists carried out a joint archaeological excavation in Tunisia's Ben Arous Forest. The exercise has been going since October last year. The excavation site is located in the 12,000-square-metre forest, which was a settlement area dating back over 2000 years.
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