Культурные аспекты торговых связей Египта со странами Красноморского бассейна, Индии и Китая в I-XVI вв. н.э.

• Автор: Ахмед Самех Рамзес Салех Фаттох
• Шифр специальности: 24.00.01
• Научная степень: Кандидатская
• Год защиты: 2005
• Место защиты: Москва
• Количество страниц: 217 с. : ил.

Разрыв страницыTable of content INTRODUCTION
I CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE AND CULTURAL LINKS BETWEEN EGYPT AND THE COUNTRIES OF RED SEA BASIN, INDIA IN THE PHARAONIC TIMES AND IN THE PERIOD OF THE PTOLEMAIS RULE
II CHAPTER Development of trade and cultural
CONTACTS BETWEEN EGYPT AND COUNTRIES OF RED SEA
basin and India in Roman period
III CHAPTER Trade and cultural relations of Egypt
AND COUNTRIES OF THE RED SEA BASIN, INDIA AND CHINA IN the Byzantine period
IV CHAPTER TRADE AND CULTURAL RELATIONS BETWEEN EGYPT AND COUNTRIES OF THE RED SEA BASIN, INDIA AND CHINA IN ISLAMIC PERIOD
Conclusion
APENDIX
Figure List
Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
THE OVERALL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE WORK Actuality of research
Geographical factor was crucial for development of the country in all periods of the Egyptian state history. Thanks to her geographical position Egypt was a crossroad of economical and political contacts between civilizations of the Mediterranean region, Near East and Africa. Egypt was very active in trade with such remote countries of Oicumena as India and China starting from the rule of the Ptolemies until XVI century.
However Egyptian ports on the Mediterranean and Red seas were both trade centers and hearths of very active exchange of ideas, places of meeting of different cultural traditions bearers. Since the period of the Greek dynasty of the Ptolemies rule when Egypt became powerful thalassocratia, port cities became outposts of cross-cultural and cross confessional dialog where ideology have been developed which outspread through the whole Africa and the Mediterranean region.
That is why study of the trade links of Egypt in our opinion is a subject of a special interest both from historical and cultural points of view. Although if a cultural aspect of the Mediterranean cities functioning is studied in details the influence of trade with India and China on the new ideas of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and medieval Egypt is studied insufficiently. This gap in our knowledge could be fulfilled by scrutinizing of all sources concerning Egypt ports on the Red sea, which was an area of a very active interaction between Egyptian, India and China cultures.
Degree of scientific elaboration of the subject

The single problems of the subject “Trade contacts of Egypt with countries situated in the area of the Red sea, India and China” was studied in several monographic researches and articles. For instance a history of sea trade of Egypt in Pharaonic, Ptolemaic and roman periods is studied in a monograph of El-Abadi1 and Abdel Halim2. In this book results of the authors archaeological excavations at the site Wadi Gawasis (the Red sea coast) are published. Here an anchorage of vessels sailing to Punt was situated. A very important place in the book is devoted to a description of an expedition to Punt which took a place in a reign of the queen Hatshipsut (XVIII dynasty of the New Kingdom); a very strong cultural output of the expedition is thoroughly studied.
In the book by L. Casson3 one of the chapter is devoted to the study of development of the sea trade in the Red and Mediterranean seas in Roman and Byzantine times. A very important contribution of this book is a commented translation of “Periplus of Eretreian Sea”4. This itinerary, which was compiled in the Roman period by a Greek traveler, describes a way from the Red sea to the Indian Ocean. The Periplus mapped all ports and anchorages with mentioning of distances between them and winds favorable for sailing in different periods of a year. A great attention L. Casson focused on study of cultural contacts of Greek-Roman world with countries of the Orient.
1 Abadi M. Egypt from Alexander. Cairo, 1985;Abadi M. Farmer and the Land in Egypt. -Cairo, 1974
2 Abdel Halim The Red Sea.- Alexandria, 1993
3 Casson L. Ships and Seafaring in ancient times.-NewYork, 1970. See also the other work of this scientist on this problem: Casson L. Egypt, Africa, Arabia and India: Patterns of Seaborne Trade in the First Cebtury// Bulletin of American Society of Papyrologists.-1984.-Vol.XXI.№l-4; Casson L. Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World.-Princeton,1971; Casson L.The Periplus maris Erythraei: Text with Introduction, Translation and Commentary.-Princeton,1989, Casson L. The Ancient Mariners Seafarers and Sea Fighters of the Mediterranean in Ancient Times.- New York, 1999; Casson L. Romes trade with the East (the Sea Voyage to Africa and India.- New York, 1980
4 Casson L.The Periplus Maris Erythraei: Text with Introduction, Translation and Commentary.-Princeton, 1989; Casson L. General Commentary on the Periplus Maris Erythraei.- New York, 1974

Taksil and Pushkalavati). They were inhabited by veterans of Alexander’s army, merchants, artisans est. Gymnasiums, libraries, temples devoted to Greek gods and other buildings which were characteristic for Greek Hellenistic culture were erected in these cities. A syncretic art style called “Gandchar art” was developed. Social-cultural interaction became apparent in features of new syncretic West-Eastern deities.
In the period of Hellenism (336-30 BC) constant see and land trade links were established between the valley of Hind and the Mediterranean world. Mainly they were connected by the Red see road and further by the Northern part of the Indian ocean. This road was more safe and shorter.
The majority of Egyptian see ports were founded at the time of the Ptolemies power (305-30 BC.). Their active foreign policy which extended on the territory of the Arabian peninsula demanded developing of the Red see basin and founding of new naval bases. Another reason for the new ports building was demand of the Ptolemies and their court for oriental luxury goods such as: incenses, spicery, precious stones, musline, pearls, timber, filoselle, tissue and other commodities from India and China. In return Egypt was sending works of art made in Alexandrian style with was very much appreciated in the Oriental countries, gold and silver coins minted in Rome and Alexandria. These coins were found in a number of treasures on the territory of Hindustan. Rulers of Kushan empire borrowed an iconography of these coins. Some gods depicted on the coins had “western” features. Sometimes their names were written by Greek letters or even names of Greek-Alexandrian gods were inscribed on the coins.