Temple of Isis (Pompeii)

:"See Temple of Isis for other temples to her."The Temple of Isis is a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess, Isis. This small and almost completely intact temple was among one of the first discoveries during the excavation of Pompeii in 1764 Hackworth Petersen, L. (2006). The Freedman in Roman Art and Art History.Cambridge University Press ] . Its role as a Hellenization
Hellenized Egyptian temple in a Roman colony was fully confirmed with an inscription detailed by Francisco la Vega on July 20, 1765. Original paintings and sculptures can be seen at the Museo Archaeologico in Naples [http://www.marketplace.it/museo.nazionale/emuseo_home.htm] ; the site itself remains on the Via del Tempio di Iside.

The preserved Pompeian temple is actually the second structure; the original building built under Augustan was damaged in an earlier earthquake of 62 CE. Seventeen years later with the massive volcanic eruption, the Iseum alone was the sole temple to be completely re-built—ahead even of the Capitolium Hackworth Petersen, L. (2006). The Freedman in Roman Art and Art History.Cambridge University Press ] . Although the Iseum was wedged into a small and narrow space, it received significant foot traffic from theater-goers at the Large Theater, businessmen in the Triangular Forum, and others along the Stabian Gate .

Principal devotees of this temple are assumed to be women, freedmen, and slaves . Initiates of the Isis mystery cult worshipped a compassionate goddess who promised eventual salvation and a perpetual relationship throughout life and after death The Diaspora Cults. (1970) Ancient History XI, High Empire 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press ] . The temple itself was constructed in honor of a 6 year-old boy by his freedman father, Numerius, to allow the child to enter elite society . Many scenes from the temple are re-created in the dining rooms of Pompeians, however, indicating that many individuals visited this temple for political, economic, or social reasons .

Religion

Isis worship was concerned about the acquisition of knowledge since knowledge could only be attained from the gifts of the gods Plutarch. "Isis and Osiris" from the Moralia, Book V. Available on [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/A.html] ] . Priests of Isis typically shaved their heads and wore linen garments rather than wool . Isis worship did not include a Messianic apocalyptic worldview ; however, Isis worship typically excluded other deities and approached a henotheistic viewpoint . Services occurred daily with a solemn morning opening and a nightly closing filled with singing . A ritual bucket for holy Nile water, the situla, and a rattle, the sistrum, were both used in worship .

Artwork

Egyptian features of this temple include: purgatorium, extensive mythological scenes in the Ekklesiasterian, and Egyptian signs within the sacraium . The purgatorium is a roofless enclosure in the southeast corner of the courtyard that demarcates a subterranean room with a basin for Nile waters . Furthermore, statues of Isis are assumed to line the front with Roman deities along the long walls. The purgatorium itself resembles a miniature temple with pediments and pilasters at the entrance coated with stucco .

The Ekklesiasterian includes scenes of Io's arrival in Egypt and subsequent reception by Isis . The north wall includes scenes with Io (mythology), Argos, and Hermes. This room itself appears to be the most formal with its role in ritual banquets as well as the reunion of initiates Balch, D.L. (2003). The Suffering of Isis/Io and Paul's Portrait of Christ Crucified (Gal. 3:1): Frescoes in Pompeian and Roman Houses and in the Temple of Isis in Pompeii. ] . The sacraium is even more Egyptian with a mural of snakes guarding a wicker basket adorned with lunar symbols . This may represent a spring sailing season celebration, navigium Isidis, since Isis restores her husband-brother to life by towing a boat filled with sacred waters .

Mozart visit

The famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is known to have visited the Temple of Isis at Pompeii in 1769, just a few years after it was unearthed and when Mozart was himself just 13 years old. His visit and the memories of the site are consdiered to have inspired him 20 years later in his composition of "The Magic Flute".

References

Balch, D.L. (2003). The Suffering of Isis/Io and Paul's Portrait of Christ Crucified (Gal. 3:1): Frescoes in Pompeian and Roman Houses and in the Temple of Isis in Pompeii. The Journal of Religion, 83(1), 24-55.

Brogi, Giacomo. (1870). Tempio d'Iside. n5038, Wikimedia Commons. [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
] .

Cambridge Ancient History XI, High Empire 2nd ed. The Diaspora Cults. (1970). Cambridge University Press.

Dio, Cassius. Roman History, Vol VIII. (1925). Re-published on [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/66*.html] .

Hackworth Petersen, L. (2006). The Freedman in Roman Art and Art History.Cambridge University Press.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli. Photographs of Pompeiian mosaics and statues from the Temple of Isis [http://www.marketplace.it/museo.nazionale/] .

Photographs of exterior of temple along with many other photos of other Pompeiian ruins: [http://www2.pompeiisites.org/Database/pompei/Pompei2.nsf/pagine/2465BECFCF45AA0DC1256B3500420640?OpenDocument] .

Photo of Io mural from the Ekklesiasterian [http://www.archeona.arti.beniculturali.it/sanc_en/mann/it1/08_27.html] .

Photos of Temple of Isis along with other Pompeiian ruins. [http://www.utexas.edu/courses/italianarch/pompeii.html] .

Plutarch. "Isis and Osiris" from the Moralia, Book V. Available on [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/A.html] .

Römischer, Gottesdienst. "Ehre Isis." Wikimedia Commons. [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
] .