On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, the workshop "Temple of Isis in Pompeii. Knowledge, Excavation, Restoration, and Enjoyment" will be held at the Auditorium of the Pompeii excavations. The workshop is organized by the Pompeii Archaeological Park in collaboration with the Federico II University of Naples, the Southern School of Advanced Studies, and the School of Specialization in Architectural and Landscape Heritage (BAP) of Naples.
The day's program will be introduced by the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii Gabriel Zuchtriegel and the coordinator of the Acma Research Doctorate Carlo Rescigno, and will focus on the illustration of the results of the excavation campaign underway at the temple, by officials of the Park. Following this, Professor Renata Picone, Director of the School of Specialization in Bap of Naples, will intervene with a contribution on "The Temple of Isis in Pompeii. From the history of restoration to current conservation problems".
Among the interventions, there will also be a special focus on “The fascination of Egypt in the Greco-Roman world” by the Director of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Christian Greco.
An inspection of the excavation site of the Temple of Isis is also planned.
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The event is open to the public.
The Temple of Isis was dedicated to the ancient cult (of a mystery type, i.e. reserved for initiates only) of the Egyptian goddess, which spread throughout the Mediterranean from the 3rd century BC for her message of hope in a life after death. According to the myth, in fact, Isis recovered the parts of her husband Osiris, killed and dismembered by Seth, recomposed him and gave him life again. At the centre of a porticoed courtyard is the temple on a high podium; in the space in front are the altar, the pit for offerings and a small building (purgatorium) inside which a staircase leads to the basin from which to draw water, which was said to come directly from the Nile. Behind the temple a large room was dedicated to meetings of the initiates (ekklesiasterion), while in a smaller room (sacrarium) paintings were visible that narrated episodes of the myth of the goddess.
The decorative apparatus, sculptures and furnishings found in the sanctuary are exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, but it is possible to partially relive the original effect thanks to the relocation in situ of some copies of frescoes and statues.
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