Life and Death in Greco-Roman Egypt

Dan Snow's History Hit

In its final centuries, Ancient Egypt was conquered by the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans, beginning with the invasion of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. But these new arrivals didn't squash the Egyptian way of life - the invaders blended their customs, practices and style with the native Egyptians. This is most notable in the extraordinary Fayum Mummy portraits - Egyptian sarcophagi with realistic Roman portraits painted on the front.

To find out more about life and death in Greco-Roman Egypt, Dan visits the Manchester Museum to meet Dr Campbell Price, curator of Egypt and Sudan. Among the Fayum mummies in the museum's current exhibition 'Golden Mummies' they discuss the last years of Pharaonic Egypt.

You can see the Fayum mummy portraits for yourself at the museum for free until mid-April 2024: Find out more here

Produced by Mariana Des Forges, edited by Dougal Patmore

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