by Molly Swetnam-Burland (Adina Allen Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Classical Studies, College of William and Mary)

After the defeat of Cleopatra at the battles of Actium and Alexandria, there was a fascination with Egyptian culture and a taste for Egyptian and Egyptian-looking artworks in Rome. In this lecture, I will discuss objects as large as obelisks and as small as cameo glass perfume flasks, asking what Romans knew of Egypt and how their conquest of an exotic land transformed their own culture.