Materiali egizi ed egittizzanti in laguna e aree limitrofe. Collezioni antiche e scavi moderni

This article considers some Hellenistic and Roman sculptures related to the cult of Isis, the ancient Egyptian goddess who under the Ptolemies became a deity bringing universal salvation Isis was venerated through a mystery religion that, starting from the great port of Alexandria, became widespread in the Mediterranean, coming to affect even the Venetian lagoon by way of Rome. Through the comparison of local archaeological finds to the works from Venetian collections and the iconographic/stylistic analysis of images of the cult’s priestesses and adherents, we were able to provide new data toward reconstructing Isis’ presence in this area, and how the local population responded to it.