Archaeologists Find Silk Road Equal

CNN.com ^ | 6-12-2002

[blam]

Local Ababda nomads dig in one of the streets in Berenike, which holds an array of artifacts that scientists say reveals an "impressive" sea trade between the Roman Empire and India.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Spices, gems and other exotic cargo excavated from an ancient port on Egypt's Red Sea show that the sea trade 2,000 years ago between the Roman Empire and India was more extensive than previously thought and even rivaled the legendary Silk Road, archaeologists say.

[RightWhale]

The entire region between modern Ethiopia and India was known as Ethiopia at one time. It'a all been settled for a long time, probably during the Ice Age as well, judging from the city found in the water off India. Being a sea trader would have been dangerous in those days, not just for fragile ships and heavy weather, but also for general lawlessness of port cities and pirates. Still the same. Tough neighborhood.

[TransOxus]

Nothing new here. This sea trade has been going on for thousands of years. Apparently mummies have been wrapped in cotton originating from the Indian sub-continent. And there is an underwater sunken civilization like Atlantis, called Lemuria. The Arabs had the monopoly on the Indian sea route when Europe began to wake up and begin its creative phase around the 15th century. This sea trade route was more reliable and faster than the Silk Road which had a lot of waste from long land travel and multiple domains to be crossed with taxes to be paid leading to high prices. The Arabs had lower prices but still enjoyed tremondous profits which the Merchants of Venice and their ilk did not like. One system of accounting adopted from the Arabs by the Venetians was the numerical system we use today which the Arabs had actaully adopted from India. Some still erroneously call it Arabic in origin when it is really of Indian origin.

The drive to eliminate the Arab middlemen and also in seeking the legendary Prester John to help drive out the Saracens from Europe were the primary incentives to Europeans exploring alternate sea routes. Eventually Vasco da Gama succeeeded in finding and hiring an Indian pilot on the east coast of Africa to show him the trade winds to navigate to India thus breaking Arab monopoly on the lucrative trade with the East. One of the explorers seeking the alternate route, Columbus, going the other way led to the the U.S.A. though Amerigo Vespucci and others were also exploring before.

[blam]

Thanks, very interesting.

[Mo1]

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[jimtorr]

Trade activity at the port peaked twice, in the first century and again around 500, before it ceased altogether, possibly after a plague.

Is this about the right period for a plague of Arab invaders? True Arabs this time, from Arabia.

[blam]

"Trade activity at the port peaked twice, in the first century and again around 500, before it ceased altogether, possibly after a plague.

Is this about the right period for a plague of Arab invaders? True Arabs this time, from Arabia.

"540 AD" (could this be the '500' event?)

[LostTribe]

All goes to confirm there was LOTS of trade activity in that part of the world at the time of Christ and before. Makes stories of Jesus traveling widely (some say India, some say England) very credible. The idea he spend the time between age 12 and 30 or so sawing wood and pounding nails strikes me as totally lacking in imagination, not to mention totally without Biblical basis.

[stands2reason]

And there is an underwater sunken civilization like Atlantis, called Lemuria.

Got anything credible to back that assertion up?

[blam]

(Whet your appetite on this until Lemuria shows up)

Lost Civilisation From 7,500 BC Discovered Off Indian Coast That's 9,500 years ago and it's not Mesopotamia.(sp)

[ruoflaw]

Thanks for sharing this interesting article...I have not heard anything about it until now

[blam]

"Makes stories of Jesus traveling widely (some say India, some say England) very credible. "

You know, I saw a program on one of the documentary channels that claimed that Jesus survived the crusifixion (sp), moved to France and even had a family in France, (kids and all). Have you seen that one?

[KellyAdmirer]

The Byzantines lost Egypt around 640 to the Arabs. Sounds to me about the right time for this port to lose its usefulness.

[KellyAdmirer]

That is the Rosicrucian view of history. Part of the theory is that the Kings of France, Merovingians I believe, were directly descended from Jesus, leading to later attempts to restore them to the throne.

[DAnconia55]

Ah yes... the usual suspects.... Ping list me, if there is one.

[RightWhale]

There are sunken and semi-sunken cities among the islands around Japan and the South Seas. Somebody was doing something architectural and civilized in areas that are below water now. What it was called then who knows, but there are stone ruins even 300 feet down. We have only begun to identify and explore these. I'm sure we can find a few cites on the Internet if you wish to begin researching this.

[stands2reason]

The "cult of Mary Magdalene"----she came to France after the death of Jesus, bearing his child. According to their legend, Jesus had married Mary, but the misogynist Paul twisted the teachings of Jesus around and called her a whore. She left after the crucifixion; believing her life (and unborn child) in danger, she took a ship which landed on the coast of France. (Interesting story; were it true, he would be my ancestor.)

[LostTribe]

>cult of Mary Magdalene"

Much of this is based on the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Baigent Lee and Lincoln. A very interesting book for the first 2/3 which covers the history of that region of France. The last 1/3 is a total change, even reads like written by some else. It is pure hokum and clearly agenda driven.

I visited the HBHG sites in SW France a decade ago. Most interesting, spooky in it's own way, reeking of history and intrigue.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam. From 2002.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #3

This is why Islam went down as a major power and a civilization, laying the foundation for militant Muslim fundamentalism, which became a favorite way of venting Arab frustration. They just want to keep everything intact, especially religion, but still remain supreme.