Isis was one of Egypt’s oldest and most important goddesses. The Egyptians worshiped her as the devoted wife and loving mother and for her power to give new life; they believed that just as she had given new life to Osiris (whom the Romans called Serapis), she was also responsible for the new life which followed the annual flooding of the Nile waters. They believed also that she offered a hope of life after death for those who became her followers. Within the cult of Isis, women enjoyed an equal position with men, even becoming priestesses.

One of the most important festivals of Isis was held at the beginning of spring. It took place annually on March 5th, when the sailing season opened and the large grain ships, so crucial to Rome’s food supply, could once again set off safely across the Mediterranean. A statue of Isis was carried in procession down to the Great Harbor.

The procession was headed by dancers and musicians playing pipes, trumpets, and castanets. Female attendants scattered roses in the road and over the tightly packed crowd. The statue of Isis was carried high on the shoulders of her priests, so that everyone could get a glimpse of the goddess and her splendid robe. Next came more priests and priestesses and more trumpeters and finally the high priest, wearing garlands of roses and shaking a sacred rattle known as a sistrum.

At the harbor, a special newly built ship was moored. Its stern was shaped like a goose’s neck and covered with gold plate. First the high priest dedicated the ship to Isis and offered prayers; then the priests and people loaded it with gifts of spices and flowers; finally the mooring-ropes were unfastened and the wind carried the ship out to sea.

Two bronze sistra.

Woman holding a sistrum.

After the ceremony at the harbor, the statue of Isis was taken back to the temple. The spectators crowded into the open area in front of the temple, and the priests replaced the statue in the cella or sanctuary of the temple. Then a priest read to the people from a sacred book and recited prayers for the safety of the Roman people and their emperor, and for sailors and ships.

The festival was noisy and colorful. Everybody had the day off, and although the religious ceremony was serious, it was also good entertainment. When the ceremony was over, the Alexandrians continued to enjoy themselves in a lively and spirited way. Their behavior was sometimes criticized, for example by the writer Philo:

They give themselves up to heavy drinking, noisy music, amusements, feasting, luxury, and rowdy behavior, eager for what is shameful and neglecting what is decent. They wake by night and sleep by day, turning the laws of nature upside down.

But in spite of these words of Philo, a festival of Isis was not just an excuse for a holiday. The worship of the goddess was taken seriously by many Egyptians, who went regularly to her temple, prayed to her statue, and made offerings. Some of them, like Clemens in Stage 18, went further and became Īsiacī, members of the special fellowship of Isis; this involved a long period of preparation leading up to an initiation ceremony in the temple.

A ceremony outside a temple of Isis.

Word Study

ABased on your knowledge of the Stage 19 Vocabulary Checklist,

give an English word to match each of the following definitions. Use the underlined words as a help.

BBased on your knowledge of previous Checklists and the verb

caedō, caedere suggest meanings for the following words:

CMatch the definitions to the following -ate words:

Stage 19!

Vocabulary Checklist