The Obelisks of the Caesars: Egyptomania in Ancient Rome v. Luigi Prada efterfulgt af auktion over Lises bøger og effekter

Mødedato: Tirsdag d. 18/4 2023 kl 18.00
Lokale: KUA2 10.3.28 (frokoststuen på TORS)

Først foredrag efterfulgt af auktion over Lises bøger og effekter

The Obelisks of the Caesars: Egyptomania in Ancient Rome v. Luigi Prada, Assistant Professor of Egyptology, Uppsala Universitet

Today, there are more obelisks standing in Rome than there are in any other city, including Egypt—with more to be found in other locations around Italy and what used to be the Roman Empire.

Starting with Augustus and for centuries since, the Romans removed from Egypt tens of obelisks to display them in their cities as monuments to their power. But the Roman interest in Egypt’s obelisks was not limited to their re-use as political propaganda. In several cases, the Romans themselves commissioned new obelisks, having them carved with unique and peculiar inscriptions.

Far from being spoils of war, such obelisks stand as ancient monuments of cultural appropriation, through which Rome’s emperors and notables claimed for themselves Egypt’s linguistic, religious, and artistic traditions.
This talk will present the story of Rome’s fascination with ancient Egypt and its obelisks, focusing on a number of particularly significant case studies. By integrating the study of their social and cultural context with newly prepared textual and epigraphic analyses of their inscriptions, it will show how Egyptian obelisks—commissioned by both emperors and private citizens—not only fitted in the Empire’s political agenda, but also constituted part of the cultural life of its elites.