Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC and his
general, Ptolemy, found- ed a ruling dynasty. A Graeco-Egyptian land-owning class was created, with the Egyptian elite adopting many Greek cul- tural traditions; some 300 years later, Egypt became part of the Roman empire. An exhibition at the British Museum, Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt (until 20 July), shows 200 portraits on wooden panels, linen shrouds and coffin lids made between the first and third centuries AD. The panels were placed over the face of the embalmed body which had been wrapped in linen or cartonage. Above is a mummy of a boy with his portrait painted in wax, dated 100-120 AD. The mummy portraits represent a fusion of Egyptian religious beliefs and funerary practices with the cultural traditions of the Greeks and the
artistic style of Rome. EA
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