The Flavians between pharaonic kingship and isiac cults

The Flavians placed the birth of the dynasty under the auspices of the pharaonic kingship with particular attention to some oracular features. The continuation of the dynasty and the transition of the kingship between Vespasian and Titus, Titus and Domitian, were considered, in the inscription of the obelisk of Piazza Navona, under the same light. The interest in particular Egyptian sites during the Domitian's rule may reveal features of his religious vision and imperial ideology. The solar area of Karnak expresses the interest of the emperor in the solar cult. In addition, the area of Hermopolis Magna is significant for revealing some religious perspectives in the time of Domitian and may clarify the isiac scene in the relief of Ariccia. To conclude, the case of Domitian, as well as the data we possess about Vespasian and Titus, demonstrates a pharaonic inspiration along with specific Flavian choices. This appropriation of Egypt resulted, in some cases, into an Egyptian translation of Roman ideology, but also in a version of Egyptian tradition within the Imperial language. The mediation of specialists from Egypt's millennial legacy allowed for a combination of religion and Imperial ideology that was remarkably complex, with the capacity to express direct contact between the Emperor and the deity (eg. in the case of Vespasian in Alexandria), but also the control of a powerful wisdom that was difficult to access.