Egyptian imagery on Roman walls: The Relationship between Roman and Egyptian Elements in the First-century CE Roman Wall Painting Isiac Ritual Worship from Herculaneum
Datum
2018-09-06
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University of Oregon
Zusammenfassung
Incorporating Egyptian imagery in a Roman medium, Isiac Ritual Worship is a remarkable example of first-century CE Roman wall painting. Discovered in Herculaneum, it illustrates a ritual to the Egyptian goddess Isis. Discussions of Isiac Ritual Worship in modern scholarship position the wall painting as evidence of Isiac ritual practice in Roman Italy without conducting a close visual analysis and examining its combined use of Roman and Egyptian imagery. Therefore, in this thesis, I ask two pressing questions: How does Roman and Egyptian imagery coalesce in Isiac Ritual Worship? And why are the Roman and Egyptian motifs combined in certain ways in the wall painting? To answer these questions, I conduct a visual analysis of Isiac Ritual Worship, drawing upon ancient literary sources, Isiac and Egyptian imagery, and contemporaneous wall paintings.