Object description
This object is a bone relief carving of the goddess Isis holding her son, the god Horus. Dating to the late 1st or early 2nd century AD, the carving is thought to have been produced in Alexandria in Egypt.
Isis is wearing a tunic and a tightly curled wig. She is sitting on a low stool and supports Horus with her left arm. Her sacred symbols of two curving horns surrounding a sun disc were on her head. A small hole in the top of her head shows where these symbols were lost.
The depiction of Isis is Greek in style. Egypt came under Greek rule in 332 BC under Alexander the Great. The Greeks were in turn defeated by the Romans three centuries later but a Greek artistic influence remained.
Carving of Isis Nursing Horus/Animal,Bone/1st to 2nd century AD/The Hunt Collection/PD
Worship of the goddess Isis
Isis originated as an Egyptian goddess. However, she became integrated into ancient Greek and Roman culture.
An inscription dating to 333/2 (IG II2 337 ) records that permission was granted for a sanctuary dedicated to Isis to be built in Athens. It is thought that the sanctuary was built for Egyptian merchants in Athens rather than for Athenian citizens. There was a significant amount of trade between Egypt and Athens. Products such as papyrus, ointments and perfumes were traded.
There is also archaeological evidence of a temple to Isis in Pompeii. Frescoes discovered in the temple depict the figure of Isis. It is evident that the worship of Isis was important in Pompeii as the temple was rebuilt following an earthquake in 62 AD. There is also evidence for the worship of Isis in private residences in Pompeii. In the residence of a wealthy woman called Julia Felix, a shrine to Isis was discovered. She was depicted in painting; a marble statue of her was also found.
In another private residence in Pompeii, the House of the Gilded Cupids, a shrine located in the south-east corner of the peristyle is dedicated to Egyptian deities including Isis, Anubis, Harpocrates and Serapis. Here, a wall painting depicts items related to the worship of Isis such as a sistrum and cistae mysticae. A terracotta lamp decorated with a relief of Isis and two other deities was also found.
The goddess’ longevity is indicative of her significance in the ancient world.
Sources
Parslow, Christopher. “The Sacrarium of Isis in the Praedia of Julia Felix in Pompeii in Its Archaeological and Historical Contexts.” Studies in the History of Art, vol. 79, 2013, pp. 47–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42622743. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Simms, Ronda R. “Isis in Classical Athens.” The Classical Journal, vol. 84, no. 3, 1989, pp. 216–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3297513. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
The Hunt Museum Essential Guide. Scala Publishers. 2002.
