Religious Connectivity and the Isiac Cults : Case Studies on Human–Divine Communication from Roman Greece

Focusing on the Isiac cults in Roman Greece, this book examines the nexus of religious interconnectedness and the relationship established between humans and the divine.

Through an examination of material culture – primarily sculptures, inscriptions, and architecture – Dafni Maikidou-Poutrino investigates the interplay between the worship of Isiac deities and the specific geographic characteristics of Roman Greece. She focuses her study on three integral components: an assessment of the archaeological record, the agents involved in the cult, and their perception of the divine, all of which reveal both local and global features of religious practices.

The case studies featured in this volume, originating from the Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaea, illuminate the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian facets of this particular religious phenomenon. Each case study explores various topics such as the individuals involved, their choices when traversing the Aegean, the consequent shaping of their social identity, and their religious behaviour, practices and rites. This study reveals the dynamic synergy of location, geographical interconnectedness, and human interactions in these cultic spaces, all viewed under the broader framework of religious connectivity. The result is an in-depth examination of the complex religious interconnections of this multicultural landscape.