So useful or so dangerous--at any rate so numerous--did the Greeks
become in Lower Egypt by the opening of the sixth century that a
reservation was assigned to them beside the Egyptian town of Piemro, and
to this alone, according to Herodotus, newcomers from the sea were
allowed to make their way. This foreign suburb of Piemro was named
Naukratis, and nine cities of the Asiatic Greeks founded a common
sanctuary there. Other maritime communities of the same race (probably
the more powerful, since Miletus is named among them) had their
particular sanctuaries also and their proper places. The Greeks had come
to Egypt to stay. We have learned from the remains of Naukratis that
throughout the Persian domination, which superseded the Saitic before
the close of the sixth century, a constant importation of products of
Ionia, Attica, Sparta, Cyprus and other Hellenic centres was maintained.
The place was in full life when Herodotus visited Egypt, and it
continued to prosper until the Greek race, becoming rulers of all the
land, enthroned Hellenism at Alexandria on the sea itself.
SECTION 2. PHOENICIAN CARRIERS
Nor was it only through Greek sea-rovers and settlers in Cilicia, and
through Greek mercenaries, merchants and courtesans in the Nile-Delta,
that the East and the West had been making mutual acquaintance. Other
agencies of communication had been active in bringing Mesopotamian
models to the artists of the Ionian and Dorian cities in Asia Minor, and
Ionian models to Mesopotamia and Syria. The results are plain to see, on
the one hand in the fabric and design of early ivories, jewellery and
other objects found in the archaic Artemisium at Ephesus, and in the
decoration of painted pottery produced at Miletus; on the other hand, in
the carved ivories of the ninth century found at Calah on the Tigris.
But the processes which produced these results are not so clear. If the
agents or carriers of those mutual influences were certainly the
Phoenicians and the Lydians, we cannot yet apportion with confidence to
each of these peoples the responsibility for the results, or be sure
that they were the only agents, or independent of other middlemen more
directly in contact with one party or the other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account