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The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities informs that archaeologists have found a statue of Buddha at the site of Berenice on the Red Sea coast.
quote: The joint Polish-American archaeological mission, working at the city of Berenice on the Red Sea coast, uncovered a statue of Buddha dated to the Roman Period, during its excavation work in the city's ancient temple. The team also found two coins from the second century AD from the middle Indian Kingdom of Satavahana
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This is not a surprise, Buddhism was long worshipped in Egypt and the Meroitic Sudan. Flavius Philostratus, the writer of the Vita Apollonii , Vol.1, claimed that the Gymnosophists of Meroe originally came from India. The fact that the Kushana had formerly ruled India around the time that the Meroitic writing was introduced to the Kushite civilization, led to the hypothesis that the ancestors of the Gymnosophist may have been Kushana philosophers. The historical evidence of the Kushana having ruled India made the Classical references to Indians, the Gymnosophists in Meroe, an important source for the construction of alternative theories about the possible location of the cognate language of Meroitic.
There is external evidence which supports my theory that the Gymnosophists spread Buddhism in the Nile Valley, and the Meroites adopted Khrosthi as the model for the Meroitic script. A theory explains observed phenomena and has predictive power. I have theorized that due to the claims of the Classical writers that some of the Meroites came from India. According to Philostratus the Life of Apollonius of Tyana , the Indian Meroites were formerly led by a King Ganges, who had “repulsed the Scythians who invaded this land [India from] across the Caucasus”. Philostratus also made it clear that the Indians of Meroe came to this country after their king was killed.
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Clyde beat me to it, but I can tell by the look of the statue that it looks Kushana style as in Afghan. You can tell this by the halo as well as long body shawl.
Again this shouldn't be surprising considering the Periplus of Erythrean Sea and its Marine Spice Route which interfaced with the terrestrial Silk Road.
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posted
About Buddha statues, one of them (but of a later date) even reached Scandinavia. In the iron age site of Helgö, in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, they found a small Buddha statuette in 1954. It possibly had its origin in the Kashmir valley or the Swat valley. It is dated somewhere between the 500s and 700s.
Also other far away objects were found, for example Irish bishop regalia and a Coptic wine ladle.
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Stone Buddha Found in Egypt Sheds Light on India’s Influence The statue provides evidence of Indian trade relations with the Ancient Roman Empire by way of Egypt.
(excerpt)
A team of Polish and American researchers discovered a two-foot-tall stone Buddha statue in the temple ruins of Berenike, an ancient port city on the coast of the Red Sea in southeast Egypt. The partially reclaimed statue likely dates back to the 2nd century, providing evidence of Indian influence and trade relations with the Ancient Roman Empire by way of Egypt.
Dr. Marius Goyazda, a Polish researcher involved with the archaeological mission, said that the statue was made of stone that could have been extracted from a region below Istanbul, and the Buddha figure could have been carved in Berenike and dedicated to the temple by wealthy Indian merchants. William Dalrymple initially reported in the New York Review last week that the recovered statue was carved from “the finest Mediterranean marble in a part Indian-Gandharan, part Romano-Egyptian style,” noting that the participating archaeologists presumed that the sculpture was carved in Alexandria due to the Buddha’s presentation of “tortellini-like” curls and the beaming sun ray motif behind his head.
The Gandhara kingdom, occupying what is now northwestern Pakistan between 1500 BCE and 1000 CE, is known for its Greco-Roman and South Asian-Buddhist influences exhibited through faith, art, and architecture. Gandharan art is known for its reappropriation of Ancient Roman aesthetics folded into Buddhist iconography.
Steven Sidebotham, a participating researcher and professor at the University of Delaware, said that the mission also uncovered a Hindi-language inscription dating back to the time of Roman Emperor Philip the Arab (244 to 249 CE) as well as two second-century coins from the Satavahana kingdom that once oversaw the Indian subcontinent. Since 1994, Sidebotham’s excavations in Berenike have unearthed Indian-made pottery, textiles, ships’ sails and beads, and even 17 pounds of black peppercorns that were strictly endemic to southwestern India at the time.
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Graeco-Buddhist sculpture is found in the Northwest of India and known as Gandhara. It represents the Greek Invasion of India following Alexander’s campaign in 328-324 B. c. The art of Greece took hold of the ideas and manners of Buddhism and in the district of Gandhara in the Northwest on the banks of the Indus near Peshawar established a School of Sculpture.
The Gandhara buddhas are the oldest in the world although Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, died earlier, 483 or 400 BCE according to traditions
There is no depiction believed to be have been made when he was living
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posted
^ Gandhara was one of the original 7 kingdoms of Aryavarta (Aryan realm) during the Middle Vedic period.
It was the Kuru Kingdom founded by successors of the Bharata tribe that became culturally dominant and established the Bharata Empire that we identify as Classical 'India'. The Gandhara being on the very frontier of Bhalika (Afghanistan) was viewed as quasi-foreign.
As for the historical Buddha himself Siddhartha Gautama, the dates of his life and death are more obscure. This is likely because his kingdom of Shakya was also located in a fringe part of Aryavarta during the Late Vedic Period which was during the reign of the 16 Kingdoms.
^ Shakya was a vassal state to Kosala. Also, unlike Gandhara which had writing relatively early, writing came late to Kosala let alone Shakya. So most of the info that was recorded about Siddartha came from older oral traditions. The dates for his death that lioness gives (483 or 400 BC) are much later compared to the traditions in East Asia (949 BCE) or Southeast Asia (833 BCE). All these traditions about the life and death of Buddha are called Pali and there are multiple versions. This is why I find it funny how some people who try to discredit Christianity would go so far as to question whether the historical Jesus even existed even though the Gospels were written at least within the 40 years of his crucifixion.
Buddha by the way, was just one of the religious figures that went against the Brahmanical authorities to found his own religion. Another was Vardhamarna known as 'Mahavira' and founder of the Jain religion which remained within India.
Buddhism spread in the West due to the Kushana nomads of Central Asia who conquered Afghanistan and Northern India and established the Kushan Empire (1st to 3rd centuries CE). The Kushana rulers adopted Buddhism from the learned Gandhara elite which they in turn spread via the Silk Road into Central Asia.
It was the Kushan who mediated trade between India and China on one side and Southwest Asia and Europe on the other. It was also the Kushana who deployed Buddhist missionaries and monks to the west which is why there are Buddhist temples in Azerbaijan. Of course there was too much competition in the West with religions like Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Manichaesm.
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posted
The news about the Buddha statue found in Berenice have also been noticed in India. Here is a video from WION, (World is One News) which is an Indian multinational English language news channel headquartered in New Delhi.
quote:Originally posted by Clyde Winters: This is not a surprise, Buddhism was long worshipped in Egypt and the Meroitic Sudan. Flavius Philostratus, the writer of the Vita Apollonii , Vol.1, claimed that the Gymnosophists of Meroe originally came from India. The fact that the Kushana had formerly ruled India around the time that the Meroitic writing was introduced to the Kushite civilization, led to the hypothesis that the ancestors of the Gymnosophist may have been Kushana philosophers. The historical evidence of the Kushana having ruled India made the Classical references to Indians, the Gymnosophists in Meroe, an important source for the construction of alternative theories about the possible location of the cognate language of Meroitic.
There is external evidence which supports my theory that the Gymnosophists spread Buddhism in the Nile Valley, and the Meroites adopted Khrosthi as the model for the Meroitic script. A theory explains observed phenomena and has predictive power. I have theorized that due to the claims of the Classical writers that some of the Meroites came from India. According to Philostratus the Life of Apollonius of Tyana , the Indian Meroites were formerly led by a King Ganges, who had “repulsed the Scythians who invaded this land [India from] across the Caucasus”. Philostratus also made it clear that the Indians of Meroe came to this country after their king was killed.
^ Not only is the figure on the left wearing an Indian style lungi with a swastika but he also sports the Hindu/Buddhist lock, not to mention their lighter complexion and Indian looking features.
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posted
Norwegian archaeologist professor Randi Haaland wrote an article about Indian - Meroitic contacts:
quote:The Meroitic Empire was a powerful Kushite state in the Middle Nile region of the Sudan, lasting from the fourth century BCE to the fourth century CE. In the early phase from the ninth century BCE, the seat of power was in the north at Napata. Influences from Egypt clearly dominated symbolic expressions of royal power in this early phase, but over time, elements linked to different cultural traditions occurred. Here, I explore the possibility that some of these new elements (e.g. the lion god Apedemak and elephant imagery) may be related to interactions across the Indian Ocean involving trade, migrations of craft specialists and the diffusion of ideas.
One can wonder though about Apedemak being inspired by India. Lion gods had existed in Egypt for a long time and lions were well known to the Kushites too.
Apedemak
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^ I don't think the deity Apedemak itself was inspired by Indians but the way he was depicted in certain iconography sure seems so.
Mind you multiheaded deities is something not new to Nile Valley cultures but the multi-armed thing is new. Not to mention the gesture of the deity gently touching the elbows of a devotee is a Hindu gesture.
So there was obviously some contact going on.
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posted
I've long noticed that a lot of Buddha statues in Asia give him what looks like tightly coiled hair. Some have attributed this to Indo-Greek influences, since Hellenistic sculptors often gave their subjects curly hair, and that seems possible to me. But given the Indian influences on Kushite artwork during the Meroitic period, who's to say some influences didn't flow in the direction from Africa to India as well?
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^ That curly hair style is known as "snail shell curls" in India. Guatama the Buddha, like many ascetics before him, shaved his head but one of the myriad legends about him say that when he cut his hair, the uncut portions automatically formed those curls and he never had to cut his hair again.
What's interesting is that I've noticed that some of my Indian friends who have lose curly hair, after getting a hair cut, their shorter hair gets curlier.
Curly hair and even frizzy hair is not uncommon among many Indians. There is Sanskrit poetry describing certain women and goddesses with curly hair as having locks looking like dangling swarms of "black bees". But if you're looking for African influence on India, how about the adoption of African millet?
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Wiki has a short summary of African - Indian relations. They also mention millet
quote:Indo-African relations date back to the Bronze Age period of the Indus Valley civilization, Pearl millet first domesticated in Africa have been discovered from the site of Chanhu Daro and there is at least one burial of African women from the same site as well, it is thus postulated that Indus valley maritime activities included journey to the horn of Africa and bringing back African crops along with African diaspora to the Indus valley since Pearl millet was cultivated in South Asia since 2nd millennium BC but there is no such evidence from the Near East. Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II, placed there as part of the mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE
Here is one of the studies referenced in the Wiki article
quote:This paper is an historical and scientific evaluation of Western archaeologists’ theories concerning ancient population movements and commercial contacts between the prehistoric Harappans and African populations during the Indus Age (2500-1900 BC). In this context the human skeletal remains and artifacts from Harappa and Mohenjodaro are relevant. An urnburial from the Indus river site of Chanhudaro has an important bearing upon this subject. The scientific aspect of this study is the provision of hitherto unascertained data to palaeoanthropologists anaylsing the skeletal and dental biology of prehistoric populations of South Asia.
There has to be a sea port or more in Nubia's eastern coast.
Meanwhile could Hindu influence explain these mysterious structures in Nubia?
Hindu temple
Or perhaps I'm just reaching. The only aspects that I truly see as Hindu are those paintings of the Brahmin-like figures with the Swastika and the Apedemak with multiple arms displaying Hindu divine gestures.
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posted
I think those Sudanese tombs are actually Islamic structures named qubba, and some of them are as recent as the 17th century AD. I wouldn’t know how much they draw on pre-Islamic influences though, much less Hindu ones.
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^ ^ Here is a presentation of the different articles in that issue of African Archaeological Review (31, issue 4, 2014). The articles covers several interesting subjects like for example exchange of crops and food between India and Africa during 4000 years, or the archaeology of Berenike.
quote:The papers presented in this special issue of the African Archaeological Review all explore interactions between particular African regions and the Indian Ocean from prehistory to the present. The scholarly interest in this theme is manifested in numerous conferences and seminars that have taken place over the last 20 years. These seven articles present different kinds of empirical material and analytical approaches. Exploration of our empirical theme had to confront a particular bias that seems inherent in our discipline: namely the way area-study specialization tends to narrow our search for wider culture-historical influences. Africanists become inclined to search for African connections while Indologists focus on Indian connections. This may even lead to different conceptual orientations that may serve to limit scholarly exchanges between archaeologists working in Africa and in Asia. This becomes particularly problematic with the development of scholarship focusing on various classical traditions characterizing the complex societies of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.
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This is a little off topic, and I would have just PM'd this to DJ had his inbox not gotten clogged up again, but I had some feedback on a cartoon about Buddha I drew last night that I don't really grasp. Most reactions I've gotten to the cartoon have been positive, but in one of the Facebook art groups I shared it in, these two White dudes with Spanish names claimed it was disrespectful without explaining why. In all honesty, I don't see why it would offend most people. It's just Buddha enjoying some fruit and praising it as "enlightening". There's no mockery toward Buddhism intended at all. It's just supposed to be cute and funny.
By the way, the way I made Buddha look is a combination of those statues I mentioned where he looks to be wearing an Afro bun as well as the Chinese "Laughing Buddhas".
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We discussed that a ways back and there are many parallels between ancient Nile valley cosmologies and those of India. Some could argue that various Nile Valley priests persecuted during the GrecoRoman era are the basis for such influences spreading east. The timing of the trade connections between Kush and India certainly make it possible and the curly haired buddha statues are certainly unique to Buddhism. You don't see that on Hindu sculptures from the period.
Multi headed iconography is ancient on the Nile. Temples with monumental gateways aligned to various axes common to both the Nile and India. Use of lotus flower motifs in iconography common to both Monumental sculptures common to both the Nile and India Eyes of buddha iconography very similar to Eyes of horus.
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^ Sorry, but I've been getting a bunch of messages from some people. I made some space.
LOL @ your illustration. That's a nice one. Though fat buddhas are an East Asian motif since traditionally spiritual sages in those cultures tended to be fat, while in India it was the opposite due to fasting. Buddha himself fasted to emaciation. By the way, I forgot to mention that I think the influences on Meroe were more Hindu than Buddhist.
quote:Originally posted by BrandonP: I think those Sudanese tombs are actually Islamic structures named qubba, and some of them are as recent as the 17th century AD. I wouldn’t know how much they draw on pre-Islamic influences though, much less Hindu ones.
Interesting. I never thought they were qubba. Most qubba I've seen look different but that makes sense. Also I believe Ausar is right in that the Islamic tradition of qubbas to honor saints is just a continuation of pre-Islamic customs of honoring religious elites.
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quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: LOL @ your illustration. That's a nice one. Though fat buddhas are an East Asian motif since traditionally spiritual sages in those cultures tended to be fat, while in India it was the opposite due to fasting. Buddha himself fasted to emaciation.
Yes, people have told me that elsewhere on the interwebs. They've also told me that the Laughing Buddhas from China actually depict another dude named Budai, though even his name seems derived from Buddha.
Honestly, the term "Buddha" is a bit of a confusing one since people use it interchangeably as a mantle that anyone could assume and as a common sobriquet for Siddhartha Gautama. It's a bit like how we might use Mahdi to refer to both an unspecified Muslim version of the Messiah as well as a specific historical figure from Sudan. There are Buddhas and then there's the Buddha.
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: LOL @ your illustration. That's a nice one. Though fat buddhas are an East Asian motif since traditionally spiritual sages in those cultures tended to be fat, while in India it was the opposite due to fasting. Buddha himself fasted to emaciation.
Yes, people have told me that elsewhere on the interwebs. They've also told me that the Laughing Buddhas from China actually depict another dude named Budai, though even his name seems derived from Buddha.
Honestly, the term "Buddha" is a bit of a confusing one since people use it interchangeably as a mantle that anyone could assume and as a common sobriquet for Siddhartha Gautama. It's a bit like how we might use Mahdi to refer to both an unspecified Muslim version of the Messiah as well as a specific historical figure from Sudan. There are Buddhas and then there's the Buddha.
There are many different "flavors" or schools of Buddhism. All surround achieving enlightenment, but have different ways of getting there. But yes, apparently the "happy Buddha" is a Chinese version of Buddhist teachings. Basically, don't worry be happy as a version of enlightened thought. In other words, don't let the troubles of the flesh get you down. Whereas the original Buddhist teaching was that the world of the flesh only leads to pain and suffering.
quote: The History and Meaning of Budai
In Chinese folklore, Budai is a figure whose name means “cloth sack”. This is because of the cloth sack full of his few possessions that he was always seen carrying. Budai is considered to be a Buddhist deity, but was also a monk that lived in Zhejiang China during the 10th century.
The Happy Buddhas are very distinct from other Buddha statues because Budai is commonly depicted as having a big belly and is always laughing.
Paradoxically, laughing Buddha is commonly confused with Shakyamuni Buddha. The laughing Buddha was certainly not the original Buddha. Nonetheless, he was considered a symbol of contentment and also a symbol of good and loving character. Budai is a Creation of Chinese Buddhism
Budai is a deity who is derived from Chinese Buddhism. Chinese Buddhism is basically Mahayana Buddhism with Chinese characteristics. From Sanskrit, Mahayana translates into English as “great vehicle”. This version of Buddhism is generally more progressive in contrast with the more conservative nature of the traditional Theravada school. As such the meaning of Budai and other Chinese deities is unique from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas outside of China.
Comparing Mahayana teachings to the teachings of Theravada Buddhism is similar to comparing the old testament of the Christian Bible with the new testament. In Mahayana teachings, Nirvana is apparently made more accessible to a wider set of Buddhists instead of only a devout group. It follows that the Laughing Buddha is more welcoming and symbolizes that the average person can become enlightened.
These Buddha statues are sometimes depicted holding a fan which grants wishes. Additionally, it is said that rubbing his belly will bring wealth and good luck to you. Sounds a bit like Santa Claus? However, Budai preceded Santa so it is the other way around.
The Birth of Yoda: Manichaeism and the Jedi Religion
Voegelin VIew May 3, 2022 Joseph Wilson
___________________________________
About Joseph A. P. Wilson
Joseph A.P. Wilson, PhD, is the co-editor of the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture. He is a lecturer in Anthropology at Fairfield University, an adjunct professor in Religious Studies at Sacred Heart University, and an adjunct professor in history at Worcester State University. Dr. Wilson is an anthropologist as well as religious scholar and his works primarily focus on Native Peoples of North America and East Central Asia. Other research interests include Buddhism and religion and ecology. He is also Book Reviews Editor at the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, and a volunteer curatorial assistant in Ethnology at the Springfield Science Museum in Massachusetts.
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^ I'm going have to take time to watch the video unless someone has a transcript.
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