Browsing by Author "Perera, C. T. S. S."

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A close examination of the ancient contacts between Greece and Egypt with special reference to Greek and Egyptian foreign relations from the 7th to 5th centuries BCE
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2022) Perera, C. T. S. S.
Greece and Egypt can be studied as two ancient civilizations that developed in Europe and Africa respectively. Even though they were in two different geographical regions facing the Mediterranean Sea, remaining historical texts and archaeological evidence attest to close connections that existed between Greece and Egypt which can be dated back to 3000 BCE. Greece and Egypt were in constant struggles with foreign threats from the 7th century onwards, but according to the above-quoted evidence, they have managed to maintain friendly cooperative relations with each other. Egypt faced the threats of the Assyrian army in the 7th century while the Greco-Persian war lasted for over half a century from 492-449 BCE. According to the accounts of the Greek Historians Herodotus and Diodorus, there were Ionian and Carian soldiers in the Egyptian army under the Egyptian King Psammatichus I. On the other hand, Egypt sent a large quantity of grain to Athens when there was a grain shortage for the Athenian population during the time of war. These crucial instances reflect how Greece and Egypt reached out to each other seeking resources and help. They can be recognized as mutually beneficial relations. The remaining evidence on Greco-Egyptian contact narrows Egyptian connections specifically to Athens. Accordingly, it is worth recognizing the nature of this commitment between Egypt and Athens. Further, the significance lies in the fact that both Greece and Egypt continued foreign relations with each other as evident in their Maritime agreement signed in 2020. Accordingly, this paper intends to examine and analyze the nature of the ancient relations that existed between Athens and Egypt from the 7th to 5th Centuries BCE. The results of this study will set an example for modern-day foreign relations. The historical method under qualitative methodology will be followed as the paper will rely on historical evidence and scholarly ideas on these ancient literary and archaeological recordings.
ESTABLISHMENT OF GREEK SETTLEMENTS IN EGYPT: AN EXAMINATION OF THE DUAL ROLE OF ANCIENT GREEK SETTLEMENTS IN EGYPT AS REVEALED BY GREEK HISTORIOGRAPHY
(The Library, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2024) Perera, C. T. S. S.
Greece and Egypt developed as ancient civilizations in Europe and Africa respectively, and influenced many societies, for several centuries. They maintained long-term foreign relations irrespective of the geographical distance between the two continents. There is ample archaeological and literary evidence to support the permanent Greek presence in several areas of Egypt whose origins are dated back to the 8th and 7th century BCE. The research mainly adopted a historical method to analyze these literary sources and an eclectic method under qualitative research methodology to extract the findings from the secondary sources. Further investigations reveal that the Greek settlements in ancient Egypt could be categorized into two distinct groups, each serving unique purposes in complex ancient relations between the Greeks and the Egyptians. Greek literary references solidify the theories developed around the origin, purpose, and nature of these Greek settlements in Egypt. The objective of the research is to examine the dual nature of these settlements revealed through literature, focusing on the distinct roles and contributions served by each community. Herodotus, the 5th-century Greek historian, identified the initial Greek settlements in Egypt as compensation gifts offered by the Egyptian kings to Greek mercenary soldiers who fought in Egypt. Modern research has proven how lands were given as wages for the service done by the mercenary armies in foreign lands. This could be seen as a measure of retaining the loyalty of the mercenary soldiers to the foreign king and compensating them for access to their long-term service. Later settlements like Naukratis, Canopus, and Heracleion acted as port cities that facilitated continuous trade between Greece and Egypt. The study further revealed how these settlements played a dual role in Egypt and how they facilitated cultural exchange between the Greeks and Egyptians.