English: A large sanctuary dedicated to Egyptian deities was founded in Roman times on a small island at the centre of the Little March, south of the plain of Marathon. Strips of and connected the island to the mainland and the combination of water and lush vegetation were reminiscent of the Nile Delta. The island also had a bath complex. A powerful enclosure wall surrounded the sanctuary, of which the various features were arranged in a cross round a central stepped stone structure. Four monumental Egyptian style gates stood at the four points of the compass. Each gate was flanked by four statues, two on the inside and two on the outside, of which one represented Isis in her various personae. The goddess held wheat of or small roses, symbols of Demeter and Aphrodite. The remaining larger-than-life-size sculptures represented men in the typical attitude and official attire of the Pharaohs, bearing the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt. These statues were found near their bases. Paved walkways lead from each of the four gates to the central building, which was surrounded by porticoes and had four entrances corresponding to the four gates. Next to each entrance was a small room. One of these contained another statue of Isis, a marble sphinx and many large ritual lamps decorated with busts of Isis and Serapis. Herodotus mentions the Egyptian festival of the Lychnokaia (Burning of Lamps), which was related to the ritual commemoration of Isis’s search for Osiris, her dead brother. The cult of Isis, wife of Serapis and sister of Osiris, was brought to Greece from Egypt after the fourth century B.C. and was connected to that of Demeter, who was thought to possess the secret power of nature. The sanctuary and the adjacent opulent bath complex were built in the second century A.D., possibly by Herodes Atticus.

Archaeological Museum of Marathon. Marathon, Greece.

Text: Museum inscription.