ABSTRACT
For many years the portraits from Hawara and er-Rubayat so dominated portraiture from Roman Egypt that the paintings became known as ‘Fayum Portraits’. This chapter includes a group of portraits on wood and on linen shrouds acquired in 1908 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art from M. Nahman, a dealer based in Cairo. In general, it may be observed that portraits from sites other than Hawara and er-Rubayat appear to represent a higher number of named individuals and that in some portraits there is clear evidence of personal religious belief. In the Roman period mines were exploited in Egypt, especially on Mount Smaragdus. Pearls were the favourite ornament, but also the most costly for the Roman empire. They were brought in from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, with those reputed to be the most beautiful coming from the island of Dilmun.
