Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt (A catalogue of Roman portraits in the British Museum) Book

From the first major discoveries in the 19th century, the painted panel and shroud portraits of Roman Egypt were a revelation to scholars and the public alike. Though the subjects of the portraits believed in the traditional Egyptian cults which offered them a firm prospect of life after death, they also wished to be commemorated in the Roman manner, the portraits focusing on their status in life. The images reveal the adoption of Roman fashions in dress and personal adornment by persons remote from the centre of the empire, but likely to have been actively engaged in its local administration. Many of the best known mummy portraits come from the Fayum, but portraits in various media are known from sites in the Nile Valley and along the Mediterranean coast. This text presents a wide range of examples, showing Roman influence coexisting with traditional Egyptian ways of commemorating the dead.Read More