Pompeii: The Temple of Isis

Pompeii's Temple of Isis was a sensation when it was discovered, due to its remarkable wall-paintings. Close to the theatre, and heavily restored after the earthquake of AD 62, it was one of the few 'public' buildings found reasonably intact (most of the others were still being repaired). Sadly, all its paintings and statues are now in the Archaeological Museum at Naples so it presents a rather neutralised image today. The person responsible for the rebuilding was Numerius Popidius Ampliatus who paid for it in his son's name - his son was only six but was rewarded for this gesture by being placed on the town council. From this it has been assumed Ampliatus was a freedman, a status that excluded him from public office, and also that the temple was owned by the town council. Isis had been worshipped in this part of Italy since at least the beginning of the first century BC. The building is prescribed material for the UK's OCR examination board's A-level in Classical Civilisation (paper CC6 - Cities of Roman Italy).

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Isis
• Temple
• Pompeii
• Vesuvius