TEMPLE OF ISIS - POMPEII

Just behind the Large Theatre there’s the Temple of Isis with its entrance in the street of the same name. Originally dating from between the late 2nd and early 1st centuries B.C., it was totally rebuilt after the earthquake of 62 A.D. at the expense of an ex slave who had since made his fortune. The cult of Isis became fairly wide spread during the Hellenistic era due to the religious links the Greeks had with Egypt and the Orient, and it had a particularly large following in Pompeii as the town has strong trading ties with the East. The temple stands on a tall podium situated in the centre of a porticoed courtyard. The cella, which is greater in width than in length and can be reached by means of stone stairway to one side, is situated behind a portico with four columns to the front and two niches for the statues of divinities from the cult of Isis. Behind the temple there is a large meeting room which was probably used during preparation for the rites. Excavation work between the entrance columns unearthed a marble hand, a golden goblet, a statuette, two bronze candlesticks, and two human skulls, which were probably used in cult rituals. To the sides of the room there are two other rooms which were obviously connected with the cult as four wooden statues with marble heads, hands and feet were found in one of them. In front of the temple in the left-hand corner of the portico we find a room that was designated for purification ceremonies where water from the river Nile was kept in containers in the basement underneath. The main altar is situated between the temple and the purgatorium, while the others are generally located between the columns. All the finds from the temple as well as the decorations removed from the walls are exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

 

Why do not you arrange with us an amazing day in the Gulf of Naples - a private tour (just for you) with a comfortable limousine or minivan with driver and an English-speaking tour guide? We have organized for you a great guided tour to Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento-Amalfi Coast (Positano). Contact us by e-mail info@pompeii.org.uk for further info.

This is one of the patrician houses which were built in the shelter of the town walls during the first imperial age. The various rooms of the residence are laid out in terraces descending the natural slope of the hill on which the town of Pompeii was founded and thus enjoy a fine view over the Gulf of Naples. The villa was destroyed by the earthquake of 62 A.D. and was never rebuilt although a number of significant features are still visible today: these include the 80-metre-long colonnade with its 43 columns. Although these are no longer intact, they were originally decorated with white stucco to create a fluted effect and stood out sharply against the rear wall wi ... continue

(Apic. 9, 10, 2) Ingredients:

• 500 g cooked tuna fillet
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp privet
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp rue
• 150 g dates (without stones)
• 1 tblsp honey
• 4 hard boiled eggs (in quarters)
• 50 ml white wine
• 2 tblsp wine vinegar
• 50 ml Defritum (or cooked wine)
• 2-3 tblsp green olive oil

Instructions:
-------------
Cook tuna fillet. Mesh fillet together with dates, honey, wine, vinegar, Defritum (or cooked wine) and oil. Put all into a bowl a ... continue

Love was a common topic of conversation in Pompeii. Feelings, passions, poetic love, sex, homosexuality, prostitution and so forth were all part of daily life and not a source of prejudice. The concept of “obscenity” seems to have been unknown. Love and sex were considered earthly practices of a man’s life that were encouraged by the benevolence of Venus. The thousands of examples of graffiti found on the town’s walls are unequivocal proof of what the people of Pompeii thought about love and sex.