Faiyum: Meaning and Definition of

Fai•yum

1. a province in N central Egypt: many archaeological remains. 691 sq. mi. (1790 sq. km).
2. Also calleda city in and the capital of this province, SW of Cairo. 167,700.

1. pertaining to or designating a style of portrait painting developed in Egypt under Roman rule, examples of which have been found principally in Faiyum dating from the 2nd and 3rd centuries a.d., characterized chiefly by the frontality of the head, the modeling of form, and emphasis on the eyes.