Egyptian Roman monuments shown in Marcella

The Greek era ended in Egypt with arrival of the Romans in 30 B.C. They turned Egypt into the personal domain of the emperor and the wheat basket of the entire Roman empire.

A Short time after the Roman takeover, however, Christianity began to spread in Egypt. Alexandria was to become a great center of the new faith, second only to Rome and Constantinople. Particularly important in Egypt was the development of monasticism.

The Roman rule in Egypt was ended by the Arab armies, led by Amoro Ibn El-Aas, left behind many monuments and archeological sites.

The French Mediterranean port city of Marcella is currently housing an exhibition entitled, "Egypt in the Age of the Roman Empire." The exhibition will run still September.

The exhibition shows portraits of Roman emperors, statues of the Roman gods before Christianity, as well as pictures of Roman funeral procedures.