#MuseumsUnlocked - Religious Art and Places of Worship
The Temple of Isis in #Pompeii - one of my favourite ancient cults and a gorgeous little temple.
The Temple of Isis in #Pompeii - one of my favourite ancient cults and a gorgeous little temple.
A temple to the Egyptian goddess Isis was probably established in the Theatre district of Pompeii towards the end of the second century BC. Nearby Puteoli had established a Temple of Serapis by 105 BC, with evidence of an Isis cult also being found at Herculaneum.
The discovery of the temple in the 1760s caused a sensation, highlighting the interconnectedness of the ancient world.
Image: Fresco showing the cult of Isis, Herculaneum (Museo Nazionale Archeologic, Naples Inv. no. 8924.)
Image: Fresco showing the cult of Isis, Herculaneum (Museo Nazionale Archeologic, Naples Inv. no. 8924.)
The sponsorship of public cult was also a key way for Pompeian figures to demonstrate their care for the town, while raising their public profile. The earthquake of AD 62, which damaged the Temple of Isis, afforded the builder N. Popidius Celsinus just such an opportunity.
For more on this, see:
REINFJORD, KRISTIAN. “Communicating Conspicuous Consumption in Roman Pompeii.” Rivista Di Studi Pompeiani, vol. 22, 2011, pp. 15–23
#MuseumsUnlocked #Pompeii
REINFJORD, KRISTIAN. “Communicating Conspicuous Consumption in Roman Pompeii.” Rivista Di Studi Pompeiani, vol. 22, 2011, pp. 15–23
#MuseumsUnlocked #Pompeii
