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ancient Egyptian examples, certain innovations and changes can be seen. This is includes the
reason behind using the traditionally Egyptian characteristics in the temples. The reason the
Romans used it was, aside from any religious related purposes, likely related to their pride in their
ability to conquer and to controlling the Egyptian population. Therefore even the symbols that
stayed the same compared to ancient Egyptian times could have had an entirely new symbolic
meaning and purpose (Hodos 2017, 4-6; van Beek et al. 2014, 113).
A reason for the Romans to build in an Egyptian style could also be related to the prevention of
rebellions. This was a very important issue as the Romans depended on local power structures to
keep the empire organised. Building in a style very close to the original Egyptian one could also be
related to the way the Roman military was organised. Soldiers were often send away from their
home country, which resulted in a sense of alienation. This encouraged the preservation of the
local identities of the soldiers, but at the same time also increased the commitment to cults
unrelated to Roman state cults. The Roman soldiers, for example those living in the Taffeh region,
came in contact with Egyptian cults, for example the Isis cult, and could have brought this home as
well. New Egyptian themed temples with certain Roman influences built in Rome as well as in
Egypt could have been the result of this (Alcock and Osborn 2012, 282).
It is also possible the Romans did not necessarily intend to change ancient Egyptian traditions to
either respect or dominate the Egyptian population, but happened to do so by incorporating this
culture into their own. Therefore their own influences and changes to the ancient Egyptian culture
resulted in the architecture and decoration we see in the Graeco-Roman period.
Another reason for building in an ancient Egyptian style could be to legitimise their rule, to gain
the acceptance of the priests and locals and to preserve the economic stability as the economy
was largely organised by the temples. It is therefore more logical to find Egyptian motifs that were
previously rare than to find new motifs or architectural elements based on Roman temple building.
By building in a traditional style they showed they understood and respected the ancient traditions
and were capable of upholding the ancient traditions (Wilkinson 2007, 27).
Another interesting point is the fact that the Taffeh temple was built on a high platform,
overlooking the Taffeh valley. This would have been an impressive sight. The southern temple was
built lower and looked more like a traditional Egyptian temple. The raised platform on which the
Taffeh temple was built might be related to the way Roman temples were commonly designed.
Roman temples typically towered on a high pedestal and had a flight of stairs leading to the