Isis and Sarapis in the Roman World, 1995

by Sarolta A. Takács

Isis and Sarapis in the Roman World deals with the integration of the cult of Isis among Roman cults, the subsequent transformation of Isis and Sarapis into gods of the Roman state, and the epigraphic employment of the names of these two deities independent from their cultic context. The myth that the guardians of tradition and Roman religion tried to curb the cult of Isis in order to rid Rome and the imperium from this decadent cult will be dispelled. A closer look at inscriptions from the Rhine and Danubian provinces shows that most dedicators were not Isiac cult initiates and that women did not outnumber men as dedicators. Inscriptions that mention the two deities in connection with a wish for the well-being of the emperor and the imperial family are of special significance.

Genres: History

252 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2015

About the author

Sarolta A. Takács is Professor of History and a member of the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Faculty at Rutgers University. Her research interests include Roman history, culture, religion, and literature from Early Empire through Late Antiquity. She is the author of Isis and Sarapis in the Roman World (1995), Silent Voices. Vestals, Sibyls, and Matrons: Studies in Roman Religion (2008), which looks at Roman women and the role they played maintaining Rome's socio-political structure as well as the understanding of the Roman self by means of religious rituals. Her newest book, The Construction of Authority in Ancient Rome and Byzantium (2008), investigates the power of rhetoric through the traditional virtues of the ancient Romans. She is the editor-in-chief of Roman Studies. Interdisciplinary Approaches (Lexington Books, Rowman and Littlefield Inc.) and the founding dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program.