Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Presence of Greek Merchants on the Eastern Mediterranean in Pre-Exilic Times


Commenting on the Greek presence in Egypt during the reign of Bocchoris (c. 722-715), Donald Redford wrote:

. . . Bocchoris could engage in relations, both peaceful and bellicose, with lands to the north and east. Scarabs of W3ḥ-k3-r( found in late-eight-century tombs on the island of Ischia may indicate trade, and one is reminded that later Greek tradition places the founding of the Greek colonies of Cyrene and Naukratis in Bocchoris’s reign. And even though the dating of the founding of Naukratis is certainly incorrect, no one can doubt that the last quarter of the eighth century witnessed the arrival of Greek merchants on the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean. (Donald B. Redford, From Slave to Pharaoh: The Black Experience of Ancient Egypt [Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2004], 83, emphasis added)

Such could have implications for certain names in the Book of Mormon. For a discussion, see:

Notes on Greek Names in the Book of Mormon

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