Egyptomania in Hellenistic Greece : A study based on water in the cult of Isis

Abstract: The present study examines the function and religious symbolism of water in the Isis sanctuaries in Hellenistic Greece. This is achieved through a survey of all the Isis sanctuaries in Greece dating to the Hellenistic period and the water installations. This study also examined how water was provisioned to the sanctuaries and how Egypt, particularly the Nile was, perceived by the Greeks. In addition, to what degree the cult of Isis was the result of Egyptomania that swept across Greece has been studied. The result shows that water provision through rainwater carried a religious meaning rather than the water installations design or location. This result is based on a Greek awareness of the meaning of the Nile within ancient Egyptian religion. The Greeks adapted their observations on what was Egyptian into their own Isis cult and for this reason the cult was an expression of Egyptomania.