page63
62
When looking at this from a globalised perspective we can see that the reason behind building the
temple is related to a certain process caused by the existence of a global empire and the increased
connectivity that came with it. This process is cultures becoming aware of the globalisation process
and defining the characteristics of both their own and of other cultures. Cultures become aware of
how their own culture can be defined and which characteristics or traditions belong to it. One such
tradition is the Egyptian tradition of honouring those who drowned in the Nile. The Romans
honoured this tradition as a reward for the loyalty of the local lord Kuper. The reason this was
important to the Roman culture was because of a cultural characteristic of their own. This is the
fact that a rich history gave a culture status, as long as they now belonged to the Roman empire.
Gifting this Egyptian styled temple to Kuper therefore provided him with a higher status (Hodos
2017, 4; Aldred 1978, 30-32).
It is true though that while it might have mainly been built to ensure the lords loyalty, the temple
might have been used for a different purpose as well, to show the capability of the Roman
emperor as the pharaoh. The pharaoh had an important religious duty. As mentioned before
religion had a very important place in the Egyptian society. Priests had a high social class and much
of the economy was regulated through the temples. It was therefore important for the Roman
emperor to prove his capability and show he was indeed the legitimate successor accepted by the
gods. The decoration of the temple shows the emperor making offerings to the gods and wearing
the combined crown of upper and lower Egypt. The scenes prove he was accepted by the gods of
the temple and was therefore the legitimate pharaoh. The decoration is mostly similar to
decoration found in pre-Graeco-Roman temples.
The temple has a lot of depictions of the Roman emperor offering to the gods as the pharaoh. This
can be explained from a globalised perspective. When the Romans had just taken over Egypt,
legitimising their rule was very important, as was gaining the loyalty from the locals, in order to
keep control over this region. The reason the Romans had to rely on local power structures to keep
their empire under control was because of the size of it. It was not possible to control the entire
Roman empire with Romans alone.
The reason why controlling the Roman empire was complicated was because of the different
cultures that were a part of it. Because of the increased interaction caused by the growing Roman
empire cultures began to define their own characteristics more clearly. The increased interactions
between cultures were caused by different factors such as an increase in trade or Roman soldiers
serving in foreign regions. Other reasons why defining their own culture were important could