Al Fayyum

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Al Fayyum

Al Fayyum or El Faiyûm (Arabic: الفيوم ; from Coptic Efiom or Ph-iom or Fiûm, which means 'the Sea'), formerly Medinet al Fayyum (written in several different ways), is the capital of Al Fayyum Governorate, Egypt. It is located southwest of Cairo and has a population of 166,910; it occupies part of the ancient site of Crocodilopolis.

It is the source of some famous death masks or mummy portraits painted during the Roman occupation of the area. The Egyptians continued their practice of burying their dead, despite the Roman preference for cremation. While under the control of the Roman Empire, Egyptian death masks were painted on wood in a pigmented wax technique called encaustic - the Fayyum mummy portraits represent this technique.

Portrait of a young man, c. 125-150 CE
(Staatliche Antikensammlung, Munich). Encaustic on wood; 37 x 20 cm.

Unlike the extravagant and stylized death masks of pharaohs, e.g. Tutankhamen, the new Roman interpretation of the death mask presents the image of a person devoid of precious and extravagant materials. The man in the image to the right wears simple Roman garb and has a hairstyle popular during Marcus Aurelius's reign.

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Coordinates: 29°18′N 30°50′E