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The Egyptian gods on Rhodes and Kos from the hellenistic period to roman times

• Μποσνάκης,  Δημήτρης

The introduction and consolidation of the public cult of the Egyptian gods on Rhodes did not form part of the assertion of their political predominance by the Ptolemies. It was rather a conscious choice on the part of the Rhodians, aimed at maintaining friendly relations with a country of great importance, for both political and economic reasons. The same tendency is reflected in the establishment from time to time of the cult of the Ptolemies themselves and their spouses, which is attested epigraph- ically on Rhodes and Kos.The close commercial and cultural contacts, and the attendant movement of people, that were established between the two islands and Egypt as early as the late 4th c. BC and continued down to the 1st c. AD, seem to have prepared the ground for the spread of the new religious beliefs. This view is confirmed by dedications and organised private worship. Foreigners and citizens of the two islands, both free and slave, offered dedications to the new gods from the 3rd/2nd c. BC. Organisations bearing the name of the Egyptian gods in their titles, and composed of the same sections of the population, are particularly numerous, and are attested from the 2nd c. BC. The organisations on Kos reveal the religious element more distinctly than those attested on Rhodes.Inscriptions erected by private individuals, and the archaeological finds in general, yield interesting evidence for the nature of the cult and the capacity of the imported deities. On Rhodes they appear as the gods Sarapis and Isis, omnipotent and saviours (in this the historical and literary testimonia relating to Rhodes agree), and in some cases as patron gods of seafarers. Isis, on one occasion, has the capacity of patron goddess of women in pregnancy. The lack of any reference to the synnaoi theoi Harpokrates and Anubis is now remedied by the archaeological finds. They are also found on Kos in the capacity of saviour gods, and in one case as gods of healing. Moreover, there is also reference to the synnaoi theoi, and one organisation had the name of Osiris in its title. The works of sculpture found on Kos, in which Isis is the predominant figure, reveals religious syncretism (Isis-Aphrodite, Isis-Fortuna). On both islands, however, the iconographie type of Isis was clearly hellenised, preference being shown for the type said to be a Rhodian creation (the Catajo Isis), in which Isis is depicted with great majesty and, on one interpretation, as Mistress of the Sea.Finally, on both islands there are references to the Alexandrian Agathos Daemon, and in the single case of a marginal cult on Kos connected with magical practices, there is evidence for the invocation of the mysterious Egyptian god Seth.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

Τον καθηγητή του Πανεπιστημίου της Κοπεγχάγης Vincent Gabrielsen ο αρθρογράφος ευχαριστεί θερμότατα για τις πολύτιμες συμβουλές και υποδείξεις κατά τη συνάντησή τους στο άτυπο Συμπόσιο του Όσλο για την αρχαία Ρόδο και Κω, όπου η παρούσα μελέτη αποτέλεσε το θέμα της ανακοίνωσης του. Τον Έφορο I. Παπαχριστοδούλου (KB' Εφορεία Προϊστορικών και Κλασικών Αρχαιοτήτων) ευχαριστεί επίσης θερμότατα για την άδεια μελέτης αντικειμένων που παρουσιάζονται σ’ αυτή την εργασία.Επίσης, ευχαριστεί θερμά τις συναδέλφους Μ. Φιλήμονος για τις βιβλιογραφικές υποδείξεις της, και Ε. Μπρούσκαρη, Ελπ. Σκέρλου και Ντ. Γρηγοριάδου για την καλοσύνη τους να του επισημάνουν αδημοσίευτο υλικό σχετικό με την παρούσα εργασία. Τέλος, τη Διευθύντρια του Εθνικού Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου Ηώ Ζερβουδάκη ευχαριστεί θερμότατα για τις πολύτιμες επισημάνσεις της στο περιεχόμενο της εργασίας., Περιέχει συντομογραφίες, Το άρθρο περιέχεται στο τεύχος: Μέρος Α'-Μελέτες