Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt

portrait of older woman portrait of woman

Both women wear exceptionally costly pearls; the younger woman's hairstyle dates her to the period of the Flavian emperors.

portrait of woman portrait of man portrait of woman

These woman, wearing pearl earrings and gemstone necklaces, date from the second century CE, while the bearded male lived during the third century.

portrait of man portrait of woman

These portraits date from the third to the fourth centuries CE. The narrow stripes on the man's tunic identify his rank as equestrian, and he holds a glass of red wine and a rose petal wreath.

A different style sarcophagus dating from the second century CE has the clothing painted on a flat cartonnage, while the portrait head is three-dimensional head; note this equestrian male's elaborate pendant and the wine cup and flowers he is holding.

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Barbara F. McManus