The Roman and Coptic Periods



First Floor, Gallery Eight Plan

First Floor - Gallery VIII

The Roman and Coptic Periods.  Following the Battle of Actium in 30 BC, Egypt was annexed by the Roman Empire and thereafter functioned as a kind of granary for Rome.

In the second century AD great changes occurred in Egypt due to the spread of Christianity and the transformation of the ancient pagan civilisation into a Christian one. Writing changed with the introduction of the Coptic language, and art changed with innovations in the representation of figures in sculpture and painting.


Representation of figures in painting.