ΜΕΓΑ ΤΟ ΟΝΟΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΑΡΑΠΙΣ: An inscribed bronze ring from Marina el-Alamein

Abstract

The article offers the publication of a bronze ring discovered during the archaeological work on the site of Marina el-Alamein, located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea c. 100 kilometres west of Alexandria. The ring dated to the second century CE on contextual and formal grounds carries the acclamation 'Great is the name of Sarapis' in Greek inscribed on its bezel. The acclamation stems from the religious atmosphere of the times, which, in the quest for the divine, ascribed a sort of superiority to some gods of the polytheistic system. The ring contributes to the picture of religious beliefs and practices of the ancient inhabitants of an anonymous settlement hidden under the site of Marina el-Alamein.