An ancient Buddha statue found in the courtyard of the main temple of the Egyptian city of Berenike has been recognised by the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) as one of the ten most interesting archaeological discoveries of the Middle East of 2023. This is credited, among others, to researchers from the Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw.

Describing the find, ASOR recalls that a Polish-American archaeological mission, led jointly by Dr Steven Sidebotham and Dr Mariusz Gwiazda, discovered a high-quality, standing statue of Siddhartha Gautama, a.k.a. Buddha, at the port of Berenike on the Red Sea on Egypt’s south-eastern coast, dating to around 90-140 AD. 

Made of imported Anatolian marble and possibly carved locally, the statue was found in the courtyard of the town’s main temple (which was dedicated to Isis). In 2019, fragments of other Buddha statues, made of local plaster, were found at the site. This work of art is very well executed and is the most visually impressive evidence of the presence of Buddhism in the ancient Mediterranean world.

Read more: 

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/12/ten-exciting-discoveries