The ancient seafarers searched not only for pearls and pearl-shell, but also for gold, silver, copper, tin, and other metals and for precious stones. They appear to have founded trading colonies that became centres from which cultural influences radiated far and wide. From these colonies expeditions set out to discover new pearling grounds and new mineral fields. The search for wealth, having a religious incentive, caused, as has been said, the spread of religious ideas. In different countries, imported beliefs and customs became mingled with local beliefs and customs, with the result that in many countries are found “culture complexes” which have a historical significance—reflecting as they do the varied experiences of the peoples and the influences introduced into their homelands at various periods.
In the next chapter it will be shown how the dragon of China has a history that throws much light on the early movements of explorers and traders who carried the elements of complex cultures into far distant lands. [[46]]
[3] Breasted’s A History of Egypt, p. 274. [↑]
[4] Breasted’s Religion and Thought in Ancient Egypt, p. 279. [↑]
[5] Quoted from a Chinese work by Dr. W. M. W. de Visser in The Dragon in China and Japan (Amsterdam, 1913). [↑]
[6] Muir’s Sanskrit Texts, Vol. I, p. 516 (1890). [↑]
[7] Dr. W. M. W. de Visser, The Dragon in China and Japan, p. 69. [↑]