Isis in Greece and Rome

Abstract

Abstract The cult of Isis, a goddess who protected rulers and brought fertility and prosperity, developed in Pharaonic Egypt and spread into the Mediterranean world beginning in the fifth century bce . Greek and Roman worshippers syncretized Isis with Demeter, Artemis, Aphrodite, and Fortuna. She was a creator goddess who extended mercy to worshippers and promised a happy afterlife to initiates. Her title “Great of Magic” was widespread. Numerous temples, private shrines, votive offerings, inscriptions, coins, and Greek and Latin literary sources demonstrate the popularity of the cult across the Roman empire, which lasted into the sixth century ce in places.