[1] Based on stylistic details and the context of the excavation, it is thought that the statue was made in Alexandria around the second century CE.

[1] According to Steven Sidebotham, a history professor at the University of Delaware who is co-director of the Berenike Project, the statue dates to between 90 and 140 CE.

[5] The statue has a halo around the head of the Buddha, decorated with the rays of the sun, and has a lotus flower by his side.

So the place had artisans capable of making those objects and people interested in ordering them,” explains Ast, who also points out that the discovery raises new questions.

[8] Various fragmentary parts of Buddha statues (torsos, heads) had already been discovered at Berenike in 2019, some made of local gypsum.