The Ankh, Isis,

and Cleopatra

In the shape of a mirror or a knot, the ankh is the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol meaning “eternal life.” It

also has been characterized as the “key of life,” the “key of the Nile” or the “crux ansata” (Latin for “cross with a

handle”).

The ankh was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet. In ancient Egypt art, typically only dieties and members of

the aristocracy (kings, queens, high priests and court officials) were shown carrying the ankh, indicating that

they had the power to give life or take it away from lesser mortals. In numerous ancient representations, Egyptian gods and deceased rulers are often depicted holding an

ankh by the end, by the loop, or bearing one in each hand, sometimes with arms crossed over their chest.

A frequent feature of ancient Egyptian tomb inscriptions, the ankh is often carried by deities or

people in a funeral procession, or offered to the king as the breath of life.

Some representations show a god or goddess holding the ankh in front of the king’s nose. Life was breathed in through the nose or mouth. A common plea from Egypt’s defeated foes to the king was, “do

not take away the breath of life from our noses.” This indicates that the gods and the king were the

ultimate dispensers of life in ancient Egypt.

Temple of Kom Ombo (Ptolemaic)

Sakhmet, the lion-headed goddess who represented the

force of violence and unexpected disaster. Egyptian physicians saw the treatment

of illness in part as appeasement of Sakhmet. In withholding her power, she

bestowed life, which is symbolized by the ankh in her

left hand.

(c. 1390-1352 BCE)

Next slide:

The jackal-headed god Anubis, god of the dead and embalming, feeds the ankh to Pharaoh Amenophis II, on a

wall of the pharaoh’s tomb.

Valley of the Kings, Luxor(18th Dynasty; 1427-1401 BCE)

 In death, a person lost power over the body. In order pass safely into the

afterlife, the mummy’s sensory functions had to be restored. This was done in the

“Opening of the Mouth” funerary ceremony, described in the Book of the Dead. The purpose of this ritual was to

return the use of the organs to the deceased in the afterlife. He had to be

able to feed himself, recite magical spells, and give commands.

Horus, the Falcon-headed god of the sky, points the ankh towards Ramses II

(19th Dynasty, 1279-1213 BCE)

Next slide:

Pharaoh Amenhotep III (c.1388-1351 BCE) in a chariot wearing a crown with a cobra. The

goddess Nekhbet (a white vulture, the patron of Upper Egypt) is depicted hovering with her wings spread above the royal image, clutching an ankh in her claws. The ankh is attached to a

“djed” symbol and a “shen ring.”

Mortuary Temple of Merneptah (1213-1203 BCE).

A shen ring is a circle with a line at a tangent, which was used in hieroglyphics as a stylized loop

of a rope. The circle represents eternity or infinity. As the protectress of the king, Nekhbet is

represented as a vulture, often extending one wing to the front, the other to the ground, flying above

the person she is protecting. She is frequently portrayed accompanying the pharaoh into battle.

In art, Nekhbet was depicted on the front of pharaoh’s double

crown with the cobra.

Pharaoh Amenemnat I (1991-1962 BCE) on the right as the Ba (soul) of the god Horus, wearing the crown of Egypt,

being given an ankh by his son, now the new Horus and new king of Egypt. The cobra behind is encircled by a shen ring.

Relief block from the mortuary temple of

Amenhotep III featuring

ankhs

(Temple of Merneptah)

When the ankh first appeared in ancient

Egypt is unknown, but it seems to have existed

before the dynastic times. There is evidence of its possible use in this ivory comb from the First

Dynasty (c. 3150 BCE)!

Pharaoh Sahure, seated on a throne, accompanied by a

smaller male figure personifying a local god of Upper Egypt. The deity offers the king an ankh with

his left hand. (c. 2458–2446 BCE)

The origins of the ankh remain a mystery to Egyptologists, and there is no widely-accepted

hypothesis. In tomb paintings and other art depicting the afterlife, the ankh often appears at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that

represent conferring the gift of life on the deceased. When the gods hold the ankh, it showed

that they were immortal and commanded the powers of life and death. In ancient Egypt, the

ankh seems to have transcended illiteracy, being understood even to those who could not read. It appears, for example, as a craftsman’s mark on

pottery work from that time.

Theories on What the the ankh represents:

• A sandal strap, with the loop going around the ankle, as representative of the soul’s journey.

• The sun crowning over the eastern horizon.• The path of the sun from east to west (with the

loop representing the Nile).• In funeral rites, it suggested the shape of a key

that opened the gateway of the tomb into the realm of eternity.

• The belt-buckle or girdle of the goddess Isis, also known as the “Knot of Isis,” which symbolizes the inexhaustible essence of the life force identified with her.

• The combination of the male and female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval or “womb”) respectively, thus signifying the union of heaven and earth.

• The ankh is often associated with water, the sustainer of all life.

Above: Isis knot amulet

(c. 1295–1070 BCE)

Roman period relief of the “Baptism of

Pharaoh,” a purification ritual part of Egyptian

coronation ceremonies. Here,

the ibis-headed Thoth pours water, represented by a stream of ankhs,

over the king’s head (most probably

Emperor Claudius or Nero).

• As a fertility symbol, the ankh may represent the union of Isis and Osiris, which would cause the annual flooding of the Nile.

• The oval head of the ankh may represent the Nile delta, with the vertical mark representing the path of the river, and the East and West arms representing the two sides of Egypt and their unification.

• When the Christian era emerged, the ankh was adapted by the Coptic church as its unique cross, which is very similar in shape, having a circle instead of a loop at the top of the cross.

Since the ankh is composed of a “T” cross with a circle on top, it was an easy step for early

Christians to associate it with the eternal life promised by Christ.

Wooden amulet in the

form of an ankh

New Kingdom(1550-1069

BCE)

Next slide: Glazed composition mould-made amulet in the shape of an ankh.

Superimposed in raised relief on its front are three other hieroglyphic

symbols: a “was” sceptre placed on the pillar-like “djed” sign, and the

kneeling figure of the “Heh” sign on the top of the djed pillar.

(700-500 BCE)

“Was” scepters, associated with the gods, the pharaoh, or priests, were staffs used as symbols of power or dominion. They often appeared in

relics, art and hieroglyphics associated with ancient Egyptian

religion. In a funerary context, they were responsible for the well-being

of the deceased and were sometimes included in the tomb or

in the decoration of the tomb or coffin.

They appear as long, straight staffs, with a stylized canine head

on top and have a forked end.

The “djed” symbol is one of the more ancient and commonly found symbols in Egyptian mythology. It is a pillar-like symbol in hieroglyphics representing stability. It is associated with Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, the

underworld, and the dead. It is commonly understood to represent

his spine.

Facsimile from the Book of the Dead. The sun disk

of the god Ra is raised into the sky by an ankh-

sign (signifying life) and a djed-pillar (signifying stability and the god

Osiris) while adored by Isis (left), Nephthys

(right), and baboons. The motif symbolizes rebirth

and the sunrise.

Life (ankh), dominion (was), and stability (djed) over all (neb) means order (maat)

on Earth and in the universe.

Heh, the “Lord of Time,” whose name denotes an incalculable number,

personifies unlimitedness, especially in the sense of unlimited time as

reckoned by heavenly cycles. Heh is depicted usually kneeling atop a collar of beads (the sign for gold, regarded as an incorruptible metal), and grasping in each hand a notched palm-branch

representing the marking off of time.

Depictions of Heh

Green glazed composition ankh with a

column of text on either side of

the stem

(600-550 BCE)

Mirrors were often made in the shape of an ankh. Note this wooden mirror case from the

tomb of Tutankhamun (c.1341-1323 BCE)

Made of gold-plated wood and inlaid

with semiprecious stones, it is inscribed with Tutankhamun’s names, epithets, and

relationship to specific gods around the loop and in the

vertical column.

Right: Tutankhamun’s

cartouche, featuring an ankh as part of

his name.

King Tut’s name:

Tut (meaning “image”)+ ankh (meaning “life”)+

(the god’s name—Amun or Aten)=“Living Image of the God”

“Tut ankh aten”: “Living image of Aten”

“Tut ankh amun”: “Living image of Amun”

 The goddess Nut, offering protection to the deceased on a coffin. She holds an

ankh in each hand.

Nut was the goddess of the sky and the mother of Isis, Osiris, Set and Nephthys. She is often depicted

carrying a round water pot, symbolic of gestation and the uterus, on her

head. Since she is the embodiment of the celestial cycle, this association is appropriate. Nut sometimes holds an

ankh, due to her association with gestation and the cycles.

Next slide:

Wooden figure of Nephthys (goddess of lamentation and sister

of Isis and Osiris) kneeling with the hands raised to the face in

mourning. Around the base is a frieze of ankh symbols.

Next slide: Fragment of painted limestone temple relief depicting a winged sun disc with

“uraei” (sacred Egyptian spitting cobras, asps, or serpents—an emblem of royalty,

and divine authority or sovereignty, depicted on the headdress of Egyptian rulers and deities). Ankh symbols hang

from them above the crown of King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II (11th

Dynasty).

Below: Uraei and ankhs

Egyptian cobra or “asp”

(Naja haje)

Next slide:

Red quartzite block statue of Teti, Viceroy of Kush. Around his neck he wears a pendant formed of the ankh

sign. He holds a lotus flower in his left hand.

(18th Dynasty, c.1475 BCE)

In Egypt, two native species of lotus grew, the blue and the white lotus. A

third type, the pink lotus was introduced to the country from Persia

during the Late Period. All three species were depicted in Egyptian art

(the pink lotus showed up in Hellenistic artworks). However, the

sacred blue lotus was the flower most commonly depicted in hieroglyphs. The lotus closes at night and sinks underwater. In the morning it re-

emerges and blooms again. Thus the flower became a natural symbol of

the sun and creation.

As a symbol of rebirth, the lotus was closely related to the imagery of the funerary and Osirian cult. The Book of the Dead contains

spells for “transforming oneself into a lotus” and thus fulfilling the promise of resurrection.

The lotus was also commonly used in art as a symbol of Upper Egypt. It was often shown

with its long stems intertwined with papyrus reeds (a symbol of Lower Egypt) as a representation of the unification of the

two lands.

Next slide:

Bronze figure of Neith (aka Net), goddess of creation, hunting, and the dead, wearing the red Deshret crown

of Lower Egypt (in the shape of a honeybee proboscis). The left arm is

outstretched, and the right arm is down clutching a moveable ankh.

Next slide:

Bronze Ptolemaic period figure of Amun-Ra, creator of the universe and king of the gods, wearing the sun-disc and ostrich plumes. Wearing a short

kilt, he holds an ankh in his right hand and a scepter (possibly a “was” staff)

in his left.

Next two slides: Shabtis (funerary figurines) of Pharaoh

Amenhotep II wrapped like a mummy with only head and hands emerging. He wears the

royal wig cover (a “nemes”), made from either dyed leather or possibly gold with lapis lazuli

inlays. On the king’s forehead is a reared cobra, symbol of kingship, and on his chin the

long royal beard. He holds two ankhs, symbolizing life and the desired life after

death.(18th Dynasty; c. 1427-1400 BCE)

Two shabtis of Pharoah Akhenaten holding ankhs in different positions

(c. 1353–1336 BCE)

Next slide:

Red granite sarcophagus of Pahemnetjer, High Priest of Ptah at

Memphis. Bearded, he holds a djed-column in his right hand and an ankh

in his left.

(19th Dynasty, c.1250 BCE)

Limestone shabti of Renseneb, an official escort or retainer. He holds an ankh in his left hand and a vase in his right that can be read as

“favor.”

(1730-1720 BCE)

Next slide:

King Ramses III (right) depicted in full regalia before the holy family of the ancient city of Memphis. He faces Ptah, the patron of craftsmen, wrapped like a mummy, who wears a skullcap and straight divine

beard, and holds a multiple scepter composed of an ankh and djed pillar. Behind Ptah is the lion-headed

goddess Sekhmet, holding an ankh and a papyrus scepter. The third member of the divine family is Nefertum, god of the lotus; his stylized image is

crowned by two tall plumes is worn on his head. He carries an ankh and a was scepter.

(c.1150 BCE)

Next slide:Wooden funerary stele of Deniuenkhons,

worshipping a falcon-headed god named Ra-Horakhty-Atum, a composite or synthesis of all

the main solar gods. The all-inclusiveness of this figure is borne out by his regalia: in

addition to the cobra-encircled sun disk on his head and the ankh sign in one hand, he holds a crook and flail, usually associated with Osiris. The was scepter in his other hand is crowned

by the feather of Maat and another ankh.(c.1070-664 BCE)

Next slide:Stele showing the god Ra-Horakhty seated behind an altar holding lotus

flowers. The god holds a blue ankh in his right hand and a green was scepter in his left. A deceased woman stands on the right. Above are eight columns of text containing a prayer on behalf of the deceased and a winged sun-

disk.

(760-656 BCE)

A similar depiction

Next slide:

Sycamore fig wood stele depicting Ra, who stands on the left, with the

deceased on the right. The god has a blue wig and body; his face is white

with a red eye on yellow, with a green cheek and black beak. The ankh in his right hand is blue and his was scepter

is green.

A similar depiction:

Next slide:Limestone stele depicting Ptolemy II

and his sister-wife Arsinoe II (far right). Both royal figures carry an

ankh. The king, holding a staff, wears the double crown of united Egypt. His

wife wears the tall plumes, cow’s horns and disc of a goddess. The two

divine beings at the far left hold ankhs as well.

(222-204 BCE)

Next 2 slides:

Ptolemaic stele depicting Neswy

In the second register Neswy (right) kneels in adoration of the solar barque. A “ba”bird on

the prow worships the gods Ra, Atum, Khepri, Shu, Tefnut, and Geb who are seated, holding

ankhs upward, with a helmsman standing behind.

In the third register, the deceased (right) stands in worship before an altar on which rests an offering cooled by a lotus-flower.

Behind stand the gods Osiris, Isis and Nephthys (ankhs upward), and Hornedjitef, Hathor, Anubis, and Wepwawet (ankhs down).

The several deities hold ankhs in various positions

Next two slides:

Sandstone stele depicting two

images of Caesarion (far left

and far right) making an offering

to the deities

(31 BCE)

At the far left, Caesarion offers wine to Geb, prince of the gods, who wears the White Crown of Upper Egypt, and to crocodile-headed Sobek. Both gods

carry was scepters and ankhs.

At the far right, Caesarion, wearing the Double Crown, presents two lettuces to the fertility god,

Min, who wears two plumes on his head holds a flail over his upraised arm. Behind Min stands Isis, the divine mother, wearing a vulture headdress and

cow's horns and disc; she carries a papyrus scepter and ankh.

Image of Isis painted on a

coffin. She holds two ankhs. Near her head are two

jackals, representing the

god Anubis, protector of the

dead.

Ptolemaic wooden stele depicting Isis (fourth from left), supporting the base of a blue ankh. She has a blue wig, blue and red headdress, green body, and red dress.

Ptolemaic wooden stele

depicting Isis in the bottom

register (third from right),

holding an ankh by the loop.

Figures holding ankhs, depicted on the Temple of Isis a Greco-Roman temple, at Philae. It was started by

Ptolemy (c.200 BCE), and completed around 200 AD.

L-R: Isis, Ptolemy, Horace, and his sons, Haroeris and Sobek, the crocodile/Nile god.

The elusive search For images of

Cleopatra VII and her

connection to isis

National Geographic,

July 2011

Cleopatra’s cartouche

“Despite her reputed powers of seduction, there is no reliable

depiction of her face. What images do exist are based on unflattering

silhouettes on coins. There is an unrevealing 20-foot-tall relief on a temple at Dendera, and museums

display a few marble busts, most of which may not even be of Cleopatra.”

Syrian coin

featuring likeness

of Cleopatra

VII

Female portrait head similar to Cleopatra VII

(50-40 BCE)

British Museum(London)

This portrait head, with a strongly

aquiline nose, was one of the first portraits to be identified as

Cleopatra VII using coins as a

comparison. However, there is no diadem, which would

indicate royalty.

It is now widely believed to represent a woman who closely modeled herself on Cleopatra's

image, perhaps a member of the queen’s entourage who

travelled to Rome with her from Egypt. During Cleopatra’s stay in Rome between 46-44 BCE, her

notoriety and public appearances would have made

her a celebrity, and her style and fashions were imitated by

Roman women.

The hair is brought in waves to each

side, and ends in a long plait, which is

coiled at the back of the head. Two small ringlets fall in front

of each ear. The lobes of the ears are pierced for earrings.

Alternatively, if this is to be identified as a portrait of

Cleopatra VII, it may indicate the queen’s desire to be

shown in Roman fashion with no royal insignia. A

fundamental problem in establishing a comparison is that different coins showing

Cleopatra's portrait vary considerably, particularly in the rendering of the nose.

Furthermore, coins may not be an accurate reflection of

her real face.

Roman bust identified as Cleopatra VII

(Vatican Museum, Rome)

Found at the Villa of the Quintilii on the Via Appia, this portrait resembles coins of Cleopatra

minted at Ascalon and Alexandria. Cleopatra wears a melon hairstyle with a bun and the royal diadem, a

ribbon of cloth tied around the hair first worn by Alexander the

Great that came to symbolize Hellenistic kingship. The hair is

damaged in the front; the knob at the top may have been part of her hairstyle or a headdress such as a

lotus crown or uraeus (cobra headdress).

Parian marble bust of Cleopatra

VII(50-30 BCE)

Staatliche Museum (Berlin);

Acquired in 1976

Fragment of granite statue (50-30 BCE), identified as

Cleopatra VII in 2001

Royal Ontario Museum

Intaglio Glass with portrait of Cleopatra VIIPtolemaic Period (1st century BCE)

British Museum (London)

This portrait shows a royal woman, identified as

Cleopatra VII. The hair and dress are of Greek fashion,

but the headdress is Egyptian and features the triple ureaus and cobras with sun discs on

their heads. The hairstyle and broad diadem indicate that

this is Cleopatra VII. This piece provides important

support for the re-identification of several

Egyptian-style statues with a triple uraeus as Cleopatra VII.

Basalt statue of Cleopatra

VII

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

(San Jose, California)

Cleopatra and her son, Caesarion, depicted on the

exterior back wall of the

Temple of Hathor, Dendera

Dressed in a long kilt and double

crown with rams horns, Caesarion stands in front of

his mother to offer incense to

the gods. Behind him stands a tiny male figure, his “ka” or spirit.

“Standing behind her son’s ka, Cleopatra wears a tight sheath dress, tripartate wig and modius with multiple

uraeai, solar disc, cow horns and double plumes. She carries a sistrum and the

stylized necklace known as the menyt, which is

associated with Hathor.”Cleopatra: Last Queen of

Egypt (2008) By Joyce Tyldesley

Ceasarion, son of

Cleopatra and Julius

Caesar

Statue of a Ptolemaic queen, believed to be Cleopatra VII, holding

an ankh

State Hermitage Museum(St. Petersburg)

This black basalt statue of a Ptolemaic queen represents a striding woman in a long,

tight-fitting dress. She wears a tripartite wig with three

royal cobras. In her left hand, she holds a horn of plenty, and an ankh in her lowered

right hand.

Identified as Arsinoe II for many decades, in 2001 it was

attributed to Cleopatra VII.

“Cleopatra VII was born in Egypt, but was descended from a lineage of Greek kings

and queens who had ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years ... Cleopatra embraced Egypt’s traditions ... the Ptolemies were genuinely intrigued by the Egyptian idea

of an afterlife. Out of that fascination emerged a hybrid Greek and Egyptian

religion that found its ultimate expression in the cult of Serapis—a Greek gloss on the Egyptian legend of Osiris and Isis.”

Ptolemaic stele showing Cleopatra

VII (at right) dressed as a male pharaoh, placing offerings on an altar before the

seated Isis

(c.51-30 BCE)

“By Cleopatra's time a cult around the goddess Isis had been spreading across

the Mediterranean for hundreds of years. To fortify her position, and like other queens before her, Cleopatra

sought to link her identity with the great Isis (and Mark Antony’s with Osiris), and to be venerated as a goddess. She had

herself depicted in portraits and statues as the universal mother divinity.”

“Beginning in 37 B.C., Cleopatra began to realize her ambition to enlarge her

empire when Antony restored several territories to Egypt and decreed

Cleopatra’s children their sovereigns. She appeared in the holy dress of Isis at

a festival staged in Alexandria to celebrate Antony’s victory over Armenia

in 34 B.C., just four years before her suicide and the end of the Egyptian

empire.”

The Ankh and Tyet Symbol (“Isis Knot”)The origin of the Isis knot is unknown. It

seems to illustrate a knotted piece of cloth, though initially its hieroglyphic

sign was perhaps a variant of the ankh. This symbol closely resembles the ankh,

except that its transverse arms are curved downward. In written sources,

the meaning and symbolism of this object, known as the tyet (tiet, thet) by

the ancient Egyptians, seems to be similar to those of the ankh, and the

sign is often translated as “life” or “welfare.”

In representational contexts, the tyet is found as a decorative symbol as early as the 3rd Dynasty, when

it appears with both the ankh and the djed signs, and later with the was scepter. However, the symbol

itself is much older, appearing at least as early as the Predynastic period.

By the New Kingdom, the symbol was clearly associated with Isis, perhaps due to its frequent association with the djed pillar. The two symbols

were used to allude to Osiris and Isis, and the binary nature of life itself. The association with Isis led to it

being given the name, “the knot of Isis,” as it resembles the knot or “buckle,” which secures the

garments of the gods in many representations.

 Also called the “Girdle of Isis,” the Isis knot was worn to obtain her

good will and protection. Symbolizing her strength and power, it was frequently made of Carnelian (and often called “the blood of Isis” as well). It was believed to protect its wearer from every kind of evil

and to secure the good will of Horus. The sign was considered a potent

symbol of protection in the afterlife; the Book of the Dead specifies it be made of blood-red stone and placed

at the neck of the deceased.

Statue of a Ptolemaic Queen, thought to possibly be Cleopatra VII

(200-30 BCE)Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)

Given the association

of the Ptolemaic

queens with Isis, the knot in the fabric

is often called an Isis

knot.

Ptolemaic statue of a standing

female figure, holding a wreath and double

cornucopia (identifying her as Arsinoe II or Cleopatra VII). She wears a knotted costume and corkscrew

hairstyle

(80-30 BCE) Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge

 Knots were widely used as amulets because the Egyptians believed they

bound and released magic. When placed at the neck of the dead on the

day of the funeral in the soul’s journey through the underworld, it opened up

all hidden places and procured the favor of Isis and Horus forever. A

number of variants on the tyet sign are found in the Late Period, but they all

appear in contexts relating to resurrection and eternal life.

Cleopatra VII presenting

Caesarion to the gods.

She carries a sistrum in one hand and a menit necklace, associated with

Hathor, in her right.

(Temple of Dendera)

Detail of Cleopatra VII with menit and sistrum

Menit (menat, menyet)

necklace

Relatively prominent in Egyptian art, the menit

was a heavy bead necklace with a crescent

front piece and a counterpoise attached at

the rear. Like the sistrum, this

elaborate necklace may have functioned as a

kind of percussion instrument in certain

religious contexts.

Sistrum: An ancient Egyptian percussion instrument, similar to a metal rattle. Shaped like an ankh, the typical sistrum consists of a handle topped with a

metal or wooden loop.

The loop contains wires strung with metal plates that jingled when shaken. The Egyptians attributed

to it the power of dispersing and terrifying evil spirits.

Ptolemy II with sistrum (285-246 BCE)

Consisting of a metal frame in the shape of an egg fastened

to a handle, the sistrum is often surmounted by a

grotesque head or by a figure of the sacred lioness Sekhet. The frame is crossed by four

horizontal metal rods passing through holes large

enough to allow them to rattle when the sistrum is

shaken. The rods are prevented from slipping out

by metal stops .

Symbolism of the sistrumPlutarch, Moralia

Book V: “Isis and Osiris”“The sistrum also makes it clear that all things in existence need to be shaken, or rattled about, and never to cease from motion but, as it were, to be waked up and agitated when they grow drowsy and torpid. They say that they avert and repel Typhon by means of the sistrums, indicating

thereby that when destruction constricts and checks Nature, generation releases and arouses it

by means of motion.”

“The upper part of the sistrum is circular and its circumference contains the four things that are shaken;

for that part of the world which undergoes reproduction and destruction is contained underneath

the orb of the moon, and all things in it are subjected to motion and to change through the four elements: fire,

earth, water, and air. At the top of the circumference of the sistrum they construct the figure of a cat with a

human face, and at the bottom, below the things that are shaken, the face of Isis on one side, and on the

other the face of Nephthys. By these faces they symbolize birth and death, for these are the changes and movements of the elements; and by the cat they symbolize the moon because of the varied coloring,

nocturnal activity, and fecundity of the animal.”

Apuleius describes the sistrum as a bronze rattle consisting of a narrow plate curved like a sword-belt through which

passed a few rods, that rendered a loud shrill sound.

He says that these instruments were

sometimes made of silver or even of gold. He also seems to intimate, that the shakes were three together. They

were held in the right hand.

Rattles such as this were used in religious

ceremonies and rituals, and were particularly associated with the worship of Isis. They

were used extensively used by priests in the

temple of Isis to attract the attention of worshippers to

different parts of the ritual. Isis with sistrum

According to history, Cleopatra made use of a large number of sistra at the battle of Actium,

and the instrument was satirically called Cleopatra’s “war trumpet.”

The introduction of the worship of Isis into Italy shortly before the commencement of the Christian era made the Romans familiar with this instrument. Rome’s conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE, following the death of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, helped spread the cult of Isis

throughout the Mediterranean and the rest of the Roman world.

Two examples of bronze sistra (79 AD) discovered in the Temple of Isis, Pompeii. The sistrum is used in

Nubia and Abyssinia to the present day.

Next 2 slides:Fresco depicting Isis (seated, right)from the Temple of Isis (Pompeii)

Isis (seated, holding a snake with a crocodile at her feet) welcomes Io (on

the left, with horns) in Egypt. Io is carried by a river god, setting her

down at Kanopus near Alexandria.

The devotees of Isis (in the rear)

wield sistra

Temple of Isis, Pompeii

Reconstruction of the Temple of Isis, Pompeii

Two Roman statues of Isis

with a sistrum.(117–138 CE)

Original (right) and copy of a marble statue found in the Capitoline museum in

Rome.

Concluding slides:

The worship of Isis depicted in two wall paintings from Herculaneum (79 AD).

In the first, the high priest stands at the entrance to the temple and looks down on the ceremony,

supervised by priests with shaven heads. One priest tends the sacred fire and another behind him leads

the faithful (gathered in two ranks) in worship. In the foreground of the painting can be seen two ibises,

sacred to Isis, and to the right is a flautist.

THE END