> case in point: these paintings have such striking similarities with (later) Byzantine icons (frontal representation, oversized eyes, stylistic choices for representing hair etc) there is no doubt they are part of a common cultural space that lasted for millenia and in some limited forms is still alive today.
Historians have long suspected that the authors of Christian holy books were inspired by several other religions. The parallels are so numerous it's hard to ignore (this wikipedia page [1] is a starting point but it's woefully incomplete, especially with respect to Ancient Egpytian religion and Osiris/Horus)
Egypt has long been a central node in culture creation and diffusion across the "old world". One of the most striking (and not widely known) facets is its dabbling with monotheism [1].
Historians have long suspected that the authors of Christian holy books were inspired by several other religions. The parallels are so numerous it's hard to ignore (this wikipedia page [1] is a starting point but it's woefully incomplete, especially with respect to Ancient Egpytian religion and Osiris/Horus)
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_comparative_mythology...