Rig Veda, the earliest of the Vedas, mentions pundarika i.e., the blossoming of lotus, (RV10. 142) several thousand years before purported Greeks or Romans bringing the pattern to India or China. So no, neither Egypt nor Europe introduced the lotus motif to India or China. In fact, Oxus civilization (Bactria margiana archaeological complex) presents evidence of lotus-patterned stamp seals. The Egyptian motif was not even lotus (Nelumbo sp.), but water lily (Nymphaea sp.).
Hi Saikat, thanks for bringing up another explanation about Lotus. I've searched for Rig Veda - comparing lotus to human hearts is very beautiful. As stated at the end of the video, there are still many arguments about the origin of the acanthus pattern (the pattern focused on in this video, not the lotus motif) and the evolving history among scholars. I have listed the references I used when preparing this video at the end. From your last sentence, I guess the key deviation here is the definition of lotus in the context of Egyptian culture? I've found a reference that may help others differentiate the two as well ( www.britannica.com/plant/lotus-plant-common-name#ref118010). Will pin your comment so more people can see :)
Interesting video, Loved the research you did , Ancient China is one of my main interests in all of ancient hisotry along with Minoan Greece ,and just days ago I was searching this exact topic (what connections ancient China has with other civilizations), And yes you are correct ,Greece has a lot of influence on early Buddist sculpture and has shaped the entirety of Central and South Asia, For that matter I would love to see China and Greece come together through a direct contact , surely something great will emerge (as usual when advanced civilizations connect), So seeing the example you presented is wholesome!, I am from North Africa and has always liked it when I see connections between cultures around the world, except China! lol ,they always functioned as a self-suficient world, give to the world but never take(paper making industry, black powder ..ext) - everything has to be made internally just like now lol. Anyways great viddeo , please do more on China's connections outside of China, particularly the ones with Greece or Rome, Also a video on Fu Hao would be nice.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments! I’m very happy that my video can help as an example for your search:) Your perspective about different civilizations and China is quite valuable. I appreciate a lot and will share it with my Chinese friends. Also, thanks for bringing up new ideas for my videos in future🙏
@@thisislansei Thank you!, I genuinely liked every aspect of the video, Just one correction I forgot to mention in my initial comment , It was the Macedonian /Greek empire that reached modern-day Afganistan/North India in 329BCE and not the Roman Empire , Rome will exist much later though around the Mediterranean, But I assume you know this ,maybe you meant 'Greek' instead of 'Rome'. As I said great video, you are doing an important work in tracing lost/forgotten bridges between ancient cultures.
Rig Veda, the earliest of the Vedas, mentions pundarika i.e., the blossoming of lotus, (RV10. 142) several thousand years before purported Greeks or Romans bringing the pattern to India or China. So no, neither Egypt nor Europe introduced the lotus motif to India or China. In fact, Oxus civilization (Bactria margiana archaeological complex) presents evidence of lotus-patterned stamp seals. The Egyptian motif was not even lotus (Nelumbo sp.), but water lily (Nymphaea sp.).
Hi Saikat, thanks for bringing up another explanation about Lotus. I've searched for Rig Veda - comparing lotus to human hearts is very beautiful. As stated at the end of the video, there are still many arguments about the origin of the acanthus pattern (the pattern focused on in this video, not the lotus motif) and the evolving history among scholars. I have listed the references I used when preparing this video at the end. From your last sentence, I guess the key deviation here is the definition of lotus in the context of Egyptian culture? I've found a reference that may help others differentiate the two as well ( www.britannica.com/plant/lotus-plant-common-name#ref118010). Will pin your comment so more people can see :)
Very nice research.
so interesting! thank you for your videos!
Glad that you enjoyed them! Thanks for the supporting words:)
Interesting video, Loved the research you did , Ancient China is one of my main interests in all of ancient hisotry along with Minoan Greece ,and just days ago I was searching this exact topic (what connections ancient China has with other civilizations), And yes you are correct ,Greece has a lot of influence on early Buddist sculpture and has shaped the entirety of Central and South Asia, For that matter I would love to see China and Greece come together through a direct contact , surely something great will emerge (as usual when advanced civilizations connect), So seeing the example you presented is wholesome!,
I am from North Africa and has always liked it when I see connections between cultures around the world, except China! lol ,they always functioned as a self-suficient world, give to the world but never take(paper making industry, black powder ..ext) - everything has to be made internally just like now lol.
Anyways great viddeo , please do more on China's connections outside of China, particularly the ones with Greece or Rome, Also a video on Fu Hao would be nice.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments! I’m very happy that my video can help as an example for your search:) Your perspective about different civilizations and China is quite valuable. I appreciate a lot and will share it with my Chinese friends. Also, thanks for bringing up new ideas for my videos in future🙏
@@thisislansei Thank you!, I genuinely liked every aspect of the video, Just one correction I forgot to mention in my initial comment , It was the Macedonian /Greek empire that reached modern-day Afganistan/North India in 329BCE and not the Roman Empire , Rome will exist much later though around the Mediterranean, But I assume you know this ,maybe you meant 'Greek' instead of 'Rome'.
As I said great video, you are doing an important work in tracing lost/forgotten bridges between ancient cultures.
@@ClassicalComputing thanks for pointing it out and correcting it for me! :) My other viewers will appreciate this too!
next video on Daikokuten( japanese shiva)