Isis Goes Abroad
Date: Saturday 7th December 2024 at 2.00 pm
By
Dr Robert Morkot
Cost: Free for Members and £4 Visitors
Venue: Coronation Hall Woodley In-Person only. No advance booking required
Abstract
Isis is one of the most familiar Egyptian deities, appearing in tombs and temples, and as statues and amulets. The temples at Philae - ‘The Pearl of the Nile’ – are one of the great attractions of a visit to Aswan. By the Late Period Isis, merging with Hathor, became one of the dominant deities, surpassing even Osiris in popularity and importance. Her cult spread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and, by the time of the Roman Empire, through North Africa, to Italy and western Europe. This talk looks at some of the temples dedicated to the goddess outside Egypt, and the ‘mystery’ cult associated with her.
Biography
Robert Morkot is an Ancient Historian with particular interests in north-east Africa, and in the reception of the ancient world and historiography. He has been particularly involved with Egypt, Sudan and Libya, but has a broader involvement in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean/Near East.
Robert Morkot gained a BA in Ancient History from University College London (1977-1980) covering Ancient Near Eastern, Greek and Roman history specialising in Egypt. His Phd was also from University College London, with a year spent at the Humboldt-University, Berlin. He held a Fellowship in the Oriental Institute of the University of Oxford from 1987 to 1991.
He worked as Archivist in the Petrie Museum, UCL and from 1996 he worked for the University of Exeter, becoming a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology.
He served on the Main Committee/Board of Trustees and sub-Committees of the Egypt Exploration Society, from 1991 to 2010. He was a Council Member (2006-2010) and Chair (2011-2016) of The Society for Libyan Studies (now BILNAS British Institute for Libyan and North African Studies).
He served on the Committee (2004-2009) and as Chair (2009-2011) of ASTENE (the Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East) and was again elected Chair in 2021.
He is currently President of the Friends of the Petrie Museum UCL, having been a Vice-President since 2012
