The ancient world witnessed numerous deities, but non has made such an impact as the Egyptian goddess Isis. With her mystic and exotic aura she attracted members of both genders, all ages and all social circles. Her power can be most clearly seen in her defiance towards the oppressive nature of Christianity, when all other pagan cults had been extinguished – the temple at Philae even survived the fall of the western part of the Roman Empire. Because of this, she was in many ways the head representative of the pagan religion and even Christianity could not avoid her influence. In other words, the Isis cult may have withered, but she left behind a rich legacy.
Throughout her existence Isis has touched all important countries of the Mediterranean basin: from Greece and Carthage to Etruria and Rome. Her presence can be traced to all corners of the Roman Empire, which covered a good portion of Europe, including today's Slovenia.
In the thesis we will be looking at her course, from her humble beginnings at the birth of Egyptian civilization, ascent among the most important dieties in the Egyptian pantheon, expansion outside the Egyptian borders and new hights in the Roman Empire all the way to her gradual decline and eventual end. Both archaeological and written evidence preserved in the area of the Mediterranean basin and wider Europe speak of this and I will use them to reconstruct her story. At the end particular emphasis will be put on the remains of the Isis cult found in Slovenia and what they can tell us.
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