ANUBIS AND THE DEAD MAN
This is a particularly interesting image that reveals cultural
contacts in the ancient world. This image is Egyptian and dates from between
175 and 200 CE. That's right, this image is Egyptian. Does this look different
from the other Egyptian paintings that you have seen? It should. The man
in the center is a Greek citizen of the Roman Empire, and yet he is accompanied
on the right by the Egyptian god Anubis, jackal-headed god of the underworld.
Points to Ponder:
-- What in the world is going on here?
-- Were the Romans following Egyptian funeral rites? How can we explain this image?
-- Notice the draped robe of the deceased. Does it look familiar?
Source: Art of Roman Egypt. Egyptian Shroud. Painting on cloth. In Moscow, Pushkin, Museum. In Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, Rome. The Late Empire (George Braziller, NY, 1971): 283.