ARCHÆOLOGY

PAUL SIEVEKING digs up a well-travelled Buddha, some ancient shoes and the world’s oldest lipstick

BUDDHA IN EGYPT A 28in (71cm) tall statue of the Buddha, standing and holding parts of his robes in his left hand, has been found in Berenice Troglodytica, also known as Berenike, an ancient Egyptian seaport on the western shore of the Red Sea. The city was founded by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BC), who named it after his mother, Berenice I of Egypt. The statue, found in the forecourt of an early period Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, is thought to date to between AD 90 and 140 and is the first statue of Buddha ever found west of Afghanistan. Various fragmentary parts of Buddha statues (torsos, heads) had already been discovered at Berenike in 2019, some made of local gypsum. During the Roman period, Berenike was…

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Fortean Times (Digital) - 1 Issue, 450

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