Temples

It is fairly easy to find temples to the Late Period Isis, when she already was Romanized. Wether some of these places would have been reconstructed over earlier sites is hard or impossible to tell, though it seems that those which were built in Nubia were all founded on new locations. Temples from earlier periods are not easy to find, though she is frequent in reliefs and in texts. Here are some temple sites, also such which are of definitely Roman making.

Philae

The most impressive temple of Aset which has survived to our day is the temple at Philae. It was built and added to by several rulers from the 30th Dynasty, who were said to be very devoted to Aset, to the late Roman period and into the Christian days, ca 300 A.D. Here is also a Birth House in the Inner Courtyard, dedicated to the birth of Heru, and built and extended to by Ptolemy III-VIII. This temple held its own until it was ordered closed by the emperor Justinianus in ca 535 A.D. About the Island of Philae.

Behbeit-el-Hagar

While Philae was located by the 1st cataract, on the border to Nubia, there was another temple in the Delta, Behbeit-el-Hagar close to nowadays Sammaud, (ancient Greek name Sebennytos). This temple was built by the 30th Dynasty rulers too, and a very important cult place, thought to be a sort of correspondent in Lower Egypt to Philae in Upper Egypt. It was built of granite and with finely carved relifes. Unfortunately it lies mostly in crumbles today, maybe from an eartquake in ancient times or from the stone being used in other structures, or both. The rests of the Ptolemaic temple can still be seen among the rubble, and one block was even transported to the Isis temple in Rome.

Qift, Gr: Koptos.

In ancient times Min was the main deity here. In the Late Period also Horus and Isis began to be worshipped. There was a temple to Min and Isis to the north, built under Ptolemy II. This temple was added to by later Roman emperors, and there has been found several evidences from earlier times, including blocks from Senwosret I and a gate from the time of Thutmose III. Also a stelae from the 6th and 7th Dynasties was found here, inscribed with a list of 'royal provisions' for the temple and its personnel.

There is also, a little to the northeast of Quift, a small temple to Min, Isis and Horus, by Cleopatra VII.

Other temples to Isis from the Roman days are at Alexandria, (a small temple to Isis and Harpocrates in the Serapeum), Aswan, Dabod, Deir-el-Shelouit, El-Hilla, El-Qalá and Shanour. According to Herodotos, Amasis built a big temple to Isis at Memphis, but no trace if this has been found sofar.

Abydos - Here Aset played an important part, as the spouse of Wesir, especially during the Mysteries of Wesir once a year. She is depicted in chapels & reliefs in the temple of Seti I.

Edfu Temple of Horus - Reliefs of Isis as the mother of Heru. From the time of Ptolemy XII.

Dendera - Behind the Temple of Het-Hert is a small temple dedicated to the birth of Aset, built by Nectanebo and decorated by Augustus. There is also a chapel in the main temple of HetHert which is consecrated to Aset and which is called the Place of Birth.

Akhmim (ancient Ipu), also here, where there once was a great temple to the fertility god Min, to whom Aset was seen as spouse, the cult of Aset is attested, as well as at Hierakonpolis, this during the Middle Kingdom (Lesko, p 168).