Exhibition: Examining the relationship between Egypt and Rome

ANSA

A sweeping new exhibition in a legendary Rome venue explores the centuries-old love affair between the two ancient civilizations of Egypt and Rome.

The exhibit at Castel Sant'Angelo, features a host of artefacts exploring the development of ties between the land of the Nile and Rome, from the first century BC through to the Age of the Enlightenment. The show takes as its starting point the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, which marked the defeat of the combined forces of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra at the hands of Octavian. Following this defeat, Egyptian treasures began flowing into Rome, starting with the first obelisks, a number of which are still standing today. This marked the beginning of a fascination with the Ancient Egyptian civilization, which would endure for centuries to come. It shaped the development of culture in Rome through Humanism, the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Enlightenment, by which time the Eternal City itself had faded to a remnant of its former power and glory. The exhibit opens by comparing a series of depictions of historical figures in Egyptian and Classical Roman style, with busts of the emperors Nero and Domitian. There are also several representations of Antinous, a beautiful young man beloved of Hadrian, who drowned in the Nile and was deified by the emperor after his death.

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