Based on current knowledge, the Isis of Philae appears to have been an import from Saite: Her temple, which was apparently founded as late as the 26th Dynasty, was initially an extremely modest provincial sanctuary, barely larger than a simple chapel. In the years that followed, however, the Philae temple complex developed into the region’s dominant religious center: From the third century BCE through the early imperial period, the Philae temple underwent monumental expansion; moreover, its theology gained supraregional significance and dominated the religious landscape far south of the First Cataract.

This lecture examines the conception of Isis of Philae as the central goddess of the cult site. It specifically explores which aspects and roles of Isis are dominant and locally indigenous in Philae, and to what extent these also shape the goddess’s external image in the cult sites of Lower Nubia. The lecture will also begin with a presentation of the current work of the Philae Project.