Egypt in Italy : Visions of Egypt in Roman Imperial Culture

"This book examines the appetite for Egyptian and Egyptian-looking artwork in Italy during the century following Rome's annexation of Aegyptus as a province. In the early imperial period, Roman interest in Egyptian culture was widespread, as evidenced by works ranging from the monumental obelisks, brought to the capital over the Mediterranean Sea by the emperors, to locally made emulations of Egyptian artifacts found in private homes and in temples to Egyptian gods. Although the foreign appearance of these artworks was central to their appeal, this book situates them within their social, political, and artistic contexts in Roman Italy. Swetnam-Burland focuses on what these works meant to their owners and their viewers in their new settings, by exploring evidence for the artists who produced them and by examining their relationship to the contemporary literature that informed Roman perceptions of Egyptian history, customs, and myths"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title 3 Frontispiece 4 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Table of contents 7 List of color plates 9 List of illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 13 Introduction 15 Historical Context and Framework 16 Egypt in Italy: Reconsidering, Recontextualizing 19 Images of Egypt 28 1 Egyptian Objects, Roman Contexts 32 The Riches of Egypt: Trade, Production, and the “Egyptian” Aesthetic 33 Egyptian Imports in Italy 42 Egyptian Monuments, Made in Italy 55 Style and Substance: Egyptian Eclecticism 67 Egypt in the Empire 77 2 Aegyptus Redacta 79 Augustus’ Egyptian Obelisks 82 Celebrating Conquest: Victory Monuments and the Spoils of Egypt 85 Kingly Monuments in the Roman City: The Tomb of Cestius and the Egyptian Aesthetic 96 Educating Roman Eyes: Augustus’ Obelisks, Described in Rome 104 Augustus’ Obelisks in Rome: Circus Maximus and Campus Martius 111 3 The Sanctuary of Isis in Pompeii 119 Decoration and Function of the Sanctuary of Isis 120 Cult and Community: The Isiaci 126 Display and Redisplay, Dedication and Devotion 131 Text and Context: Io and Isis in the Ekklesiasterion 139 4 Images of Egypt 156 Nilotica: The Land and People of Egypt in Roman Art 158 Egypt in the Empire: The Vatican Nile and Louvre Tiber 169 “Between Neighboring Ombi and Tentura”: The Geography of Egypt in Juvenal 15 181 Conclusion 196 Notes 201 Introduction 201 1 Egyptian Objects, Roman Contexts: Appropriation and Aesthetics 203 2 Aegyptus Redacta: Augustus’ Obelisks and the Spoils of Egypt 209 3 The Sanctuary of Isis in Pompeii: Dedication and Devotion, Myth and Ritual 216 4 Images of Egypt: Land at the Limit of Belief 222 Works Cited and Consulted 231 Abbreviations 231 Works cited or consulted 231 Index 261 Plates 265 Introduction: from Egypt to Italy 1. Egyptian objects, Roman contexts: appropriation and aesthetics 2. Aegyptus Redacta: Augustus' obelisks and the spoils of Egypt 3. The sanctuary of Isis in Pompeii: dedication and devotion, myth and ritual Appendix 3.1: marble inscriptions from the sanctuary of Isis Appendix 3.2: dipinti near the sanctuary of Isis Appendix 3.3: multiples and adaptations: Io panel paintings Appendix 3.4: graffiti quoting or, adapting Ovid from Pompeii 4. Images of Egypt: land at the limit of belief Appendix 4: the structure and argument of 'Juvenal 15' Conclusion: the afterlives of objects.