A mother, a wife, a queen, a healer, a magician, a resurrector of the dead, Isis embodied a variety of ideal characteristics for many different people, but to who did she mean what? This thesis...Show moreA mother, a wife, a queen, a healer, a magician, a resurrector of the dead, Isis embodied a variety of ideal characteristics for many different people, but to who did she mean what? This thesis intends to unravel the meanings ascribed to Isis in two distinct geographical locations, in terms of both temple and funerary contexts. Through the means of this investigation I will examine the processes by which Isis was worshipped in the Dakhleh Oasis and in Thebes, during the Roman period in Egypt. Isis was a multifaceted goddess whose worship was adopted by a whole variety of ethnicities throughout the Roman Empire, although she did not necessarily mean the same thing to these people. The thesis intends to gain an understanding of how and why Isis was being worshipped in the Dakhleh Oasis and in Thebes, and if they were in any way related. It will examine temples scenes, Isaic material culture and tomb depictions of Isis in the Dakhleh Oasis. Furthermore, pertaining to Thebes, temples scenes, evidence from the ‘cachette de Karnak’ and the ‘Soter group’ of Roman Egyptian coffins will be examined. The primary aim of this thesis is to establish a regional understanding of Isis in the Dakhleh Oasis, to thus make it possible to compare this data to other regions, one of which will already be undertaken here, Roman Thebes. The themes which underpin this thesis underpin this form of archaeological investigation as a whole, religious connectivity and mutual understanding, alongside evidence for innovation, globalisation and syncretism. This thesis aims to provide a detailed analysis of two specific datasets and demonstrate how comparable these can be, it will provide a regional understanding of an extremely diverse goddess whose relevance has taken off within recent years, and in part whose veneration still remains a mystery.Show less
