Johnson, Jenna

Sultan, Faculty Advisor, Nancy

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Illinois Wesleyan UniversityDigital Commons @ IWUJohn Wesley Powell Student ResearchConference 2011, 22nd Annual JWP ConferenceApr 9th, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AMIsis in Ancient Ostia: Religion, Commerce, andPoliticsJenna JohnsonIllinois Wesleyan UniversityNancy Sultan, Faculty AdvisorIllinois Wesleyan UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/jwprcPart of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity CommonsThis Event is brought to you for free and open access by The Ames Library, the Andrew W. Mellon Center for Curricular and FacultyDevelopment, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the President. It has been accepted for inclusion in Digital Commons @ IWU bythe faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@iwu.edu.©Copyright is owned by the author of this document.Jenna Johnson and Nancy Sultan, Faculty Advisor, "Isis in Ancient Ostia: Religion, Commerce, and Politics" (April 9,2011). John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference. Paper 2.http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/jwprc/2011/oralpres6/2THE JOHN WESLEY POWELL STUDENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE APRIL 2011 Oral Presentation 06.2 ISIS IN ANCIENT OSTIA: RELIGION, COMMERCE, AND POLITICS Jenna Johnson and Nancy Sultan* Greek and Roman Studies Department, Illinois Wesleyan University This paper examines the various epithets of Isis associated with shipping and harvest that gained importance in Ostia and later the Roman Empire due to Isis's strong connection with the Egyptian grain trade during the Imperial period. The grain trade was essential to Rome because the city could not feed itself without the importing grain from Egypt into Ostia. As a main port city, Ostia attracted sailors who brought with them traditions from other cultures creating a more open and diverse environment. This enabled for the cult of Isis to flourish, when previously the worshippers of Isis were scorned in Rome. In exploring Isis's popularity I examined archaeological evidence from Ostia such as frescos, coins, and terracotta objects in order to document how her iconography is depicted throughout Ostia. I found that Isis's popularity grew in direct correlation with the increasing importance of the grain trade causing her to become a popular symbol representing the imperial cult at the height of her popularity. This is significant because it demonstrates Ostia's unique synergy through its interconnection of religion, commerce, and politics within the Mediterranean world. 

Isis in Ancient Ostia: Religion, Commerce, and Politics

http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2687&context=jwprc

Isis in Ancient Ostia: Religion, Commerce, and Politics

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