Egypt in Italy

Molly Swetnam-Burland is associate professor in the Department of Classical Studies at The College of William and Mary. She has received fellowships from the Getty Research Institute, the Archaeological Institute of America, the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut in Berlin, and the University of Cincinnati. She has published articles in the American Journal of Archaeology, The Art Bulletin, and several edited volumes.

• Introduction: from Egypt to Italy; 1. Egyptian objects, Roman contexts: appropriation and aesthetics; 2. Aegyptus Redacta: Augustus' obelisks and the spoils of Egypt; 3. The sanctuary of Isis in Pompeii: dedication and devotion, myth and ritual; Appendix 3.1: marble inscriptions from the sanctuary of Isis; Appendix 3.2: dipinti near the sanctuary of Isis; Appendix 3.3: multiples and adaptations: Io panel paintings; Appendix 3.4: graffiti quoting; or, adapting Ovid from Pompeii; 4. Images of Egypt: land at the limit of belief; Appendix 4: the structure and argument of 'Juvenal 15'; Conclusion: the afterlives of objects.

'The author is to be applauded for showing how important it is to think of Roman material culture as precisely that - Roman - serving the needs and concerns of its Roman patrons, despite its historical or stylistic origins. She succeeds in her aim of integrating Egyptian-style objects into the wider history of Roman art, and in showing that context matters, with objects' meanings changing along with their owners and viewers. It is an important contribution to our wider understanding of the extent to which Roman culture in general, and Roman art in particular, was forged in the crucible of appropriation.' Zahra Newby, The Journal of Roman Studies