rome in egypt midterm

kaper (western oases)

oasis communities built their own distinct identity and drew on their own past, egyptian symbols, and greek literary culture. oases are pretty independent of egyptian culture. major agricultural center bc of water management technology. evidence of military. greek and coptic papyri

• many protective gods that they worshipped- probs bc of the harsh weather, water scarcity, heat

• vaulted ceilings of temples are evidence that the oases kept their own architectural tradition and not following nile valley temple conventions. in the nile valley, vaulted ceilings carry specific funerary meaning. one of the ways oasis inhabitants built a distinct identity. They had room to differ from Nile Valley norms because they were far away and isolated.

• homeric texts and greek writing, clay tablets, greek names for kids- showing classical education

• christianity was dominant religion in kellis. many different religions that coexisted, cultural freedom was bc of distance from nile valley

• archaism in writing the emperor’s names and using old egyptian calendar

davoli (The Layout of Trimithis/Urbanism in Roman Dakhla)

In big cities, roman culture dominated but did not totally represent Roman cities because Egyptian cities used mud brick, not stone. But, similar through gridlike plans and public buildings made of stone (though it was expensive and therefore rare). fayyum and dakhla: local tradition, which is a combination of Egyptian and Classical style, dominates the towns. ex: funerary monuments have classical external decoration and egyptian funerary iconography inside

• trimithis has no roman style monumental public buildings. there is a temple and bathhouse, but we don’t know if temple was in active religious use. public buildings and spaces are very roman so trimithis is not purely roman. also streets were roofed which maybe sealed the streets; public vs private streets— more not roman

• layout of trimithis was gridlike, but also dense and labrynth-like

• recurring banquet hall room, so banqueting was popular for wealthy society

• funerary monuments (pyramind and tower tomb) built on hill for visibility, shows importance. egyptian style with classical external decoration + egyptian funerary iconography decoration inside

• huge influence of religion: layout influenced by temple hill, dromos = avenue leading to temple/tomb that was reserved for religious purposes and not daily transportation. temenos = sacred enclosure of temple

• trimithis was never a capital and had a rural function

davoli (Classical Influences on the Domestic Architecture of the Graeco-Roman Fayyum Sites)

• houses in rural fayyum settlements combine egyptian and mediterranean features

  • type 1 and 2 narrow, rectangular tower houses are most common, and type 3 larger irregular houses w large main room are later and less common

• 1&2

  • multi story, rooftop terrace which is cool for sleeping. dark, covered interiors

  • good example of culture mixture bc looks like it was modeled after greek/mediterranean buildings (pyrgos) or it could just be climate driven bc also no open courtyard (peristyle) which is greco roman bc of the desert climate

• 3

  • later, (3rd and 4th cent) rich in decoration so maybe public or semipublic. non-egyptian decorative elements like columns and pillars so roman period

  • classical influence in decoration (painted walls and decorated niches) rather than the actual structure

  • ex: houses with ionic columns, painting of greek gods, or paintings imitating stone paneling

• absence of purely classical houses doesn’t mean they didn’t exist and variation among houses could be just individual choices

hope (roman period houses of kellis)

houses in kellis show egyptian, greek, and roman traditions

• area b has elite, large elaborate structures reflecting adoption of elite classical buildings and then egyptian houses with classical elements

  • peristyle court is proof of classical domestic forms far from major urban centers. why is there a persityle tho bc doesn’t match climate. also very not egyptian

• area c has ordinary houses arranged around a central court or room. mixed residental and industrial (potterymaking and blacksmithing)

• area a has crowded together egyptian type houses

• classical forms appeared at kellis (corinthian order columns, peristyle court, bc residents had contact with larger nile valley centers and wealthy residents could build housing that displayed their standing

bagnall and davoli (two houses)

b1 (house of serenos): upper social tier, many rooms. 3 entrances, painted decoration, suite for banquets.

b2: main st, probs home of someone in mid-level estate management or transportation. mid tier, not low.

mcfadden (amheida’s wall paintings)

• mid-4th cent paintings in house of serenos were a way for local official to display his status and education.

• v unusually narrative and mythologically dense compared to roman domestic painting

• show serenos’ self presentation as an elite, greek educated figure

• geometric shapes and mythological scenes from the odyssey which viewers would have understood at diff levels based on their education

• paintings of banquet scene possibly with serenos and his family; self promotion

• didn’t use fresco even tho it was known to be better quality, but this wasn’t fresco. maybe bc they didn’t know how to work with mud brick

• spread of christianity at this time

  • orpheus scene could have many meanings. could be a christian allegory for christ or classical image. christians in serenos’ circle so it could have been aimed at both audiences

aravecchia lol (geometric painting in egypt)

church in trimithus had flat ceiling with interlocking geometric shapes to imitate a coffered ceiling. design compared to other sites, showing that even though trimithis is remote, it connects to other artistic traditions like alexandria which is the capital of egypt and hub of greek learning, trade, and culture. this type of geometric decoration is also common in mediterranean lands like mosaics in turkey. ideas transferred through caravan routes from western desert to nile.

whitehouse (mosaics and painting in graeco-roman egypt)

egypt had 2 diff modes of representation: egyptian and greek and choices showed status and identity

• ex: funerary painting = egyptian and grecoroman motifs. mythological scenes with osiris, who’s egyptian god of underworld/death/rebirth.

• and egyptian mummy portraits with roman style portraits and devotional images of dietie