Above: map of the Roman Empire, AD 125; Left: map of Egypt (30 BC– AD 312)

Following the defeat of Marc Antony and , Octavian’s (later ) arrival to Egypt in 30 BC officially marked the rule of the Roman empire, ending the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. The Egyptian province was ruled over by a viceroy—a ruler exercising authority on behalf of the emperor—and the first viceroy of Egypt was Gaius Cornelius Gallus (c. 70 BC–26 BC), a Roman poet and soldier.

Roman influence over Egypt impacted everything from administration to art and religion. The administrative system became more extractive, and Egypt served as a source of wealth for thanks to its natural resources and production, including raw materials, grain, , glass, and works of art. Artistic representation becoming more in line with Greco-Roman styles and Roman imperial fashions (as seen in E2053). Egypt, however, also influenced the Roman lifestyle, giving way to a fascination with the ancient; Egyptian-style architecture and sculpture were constructed and the cult of Isis grew in Rome.

Chicago House

The OI’s Epigraphic Survey is internationally recognized for its detailed, highly accurate drawings of reliefs and inscriptions in

Theban temples and tombs. With a gift from John D. Rockefeller, E2053: Portrait of a Greek in Jr., the OI established its first expedition headquarters in Luxor, distemper, Roman period, second Egypt, in 1924 to serve as the home of the Epigraphic Survey. century AD, Egypt, Hawara In Egypt, some of the elite opted not Up to the present day, this flagship field project continues its to employ a traditional idealized and commitment to the preservation of Egypt’s cultural heritage by symbolic cartonnage head cover to represent the deceased, but rather non-destructive means; specifically, through the documentation they substituted a portrait that shows of inscriptions so precise that the records could stand in as the head and chest of the individual. Such “mummy portraits” may have replacements for the original monuments. been inspired by the Roman practice of immortalizing the dead through Facsimile Documentation of Luxor Temple naturalistic masks and stone busts. Imperial Roman Frescos

At the end of the third century AD, the central chamber of Luxor Temple was converted from a Pharaonic hypostyle, decorated for Amenhotep III, to a Roman-style ceremonial hall to celebrate the cult of the deified Emperor Diocletian and his fellow Tetrarchs because the temple was turned into a Roman army fortress. The New Kingdom raised-relief decoration was covered with a thick layer of plaster, upon which was painted a series of fresco panels depicting the Imperial court in all its splendor, with the Image of Old Chicago House four Emperors and Jupiter represented in the central apse. Cleaned and conserved in 2007 by the American Research Center in Egypt, the frescos were recorded in color by Epigraphic Survey photographer Yarko Kobylecky. Now, using a suite of newly-developed digitized drawing techniques, Epigraphic Survey artist Krisztián Vértes is making a series of highly accurate facsimile drawings of both the Roman frescos and the underlying 18th Dynasty relief carving, juxtaposing the two layers in a manner that was never before possible. Combined with color photographs and a complete dossier of all earlier documentation of these uniquely-preserved paintings, the Epigraphic Survey will present the comprehensive record of this chamber in forthcoming volumes of the Oriental Institute Publications series.

Left: Luxor Temple. King’s Chamber/Roman Vestibule: Southeast wall, post-conservation, L D 172. Roman fresco Right: Luxor Temple. King’s Chamber/Roman Vestibule: Southeast wall, post-conservation, L D 172. Roman fresco