Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt

appeared in BUBASTIS, BUSIRIS, DENDEREH, ALEXANDRIA,
TEBTYNIS, Medinet Ma’adi, MEMPHIS, and elsewhere. As
Isis Pelagia, the goddess was the patroness of the capital,
ALEXANDRIA. PHILAE, the great monument of Isis, was
adorned by all of the Ptolemaic Period rulers. Many
hymns to Isis were intoned in the Ptolemaic Period as
well, and she was identified with an array of Greek god-
desses. By the fourth century B.C.E., Athens honored Isis
with a temple, and she was worshiped in Italy in the sec-
ond century B.C.E. The “Isia” was a Roman festival held
in honor of her search for Osiris. A temple complex
called the ISEIONwas erected in Egypt, and shrines for
her cult were popular in Tyre, Gaza, Crete, Thessaly,
Chios, Lesbos, Delos, Cyprus, Epirus, Megara, Corinth,
Argos, Malta, Castanio, Reggio, Pompeii, Herculaneum,
Rome, Marseilles, and then in Spain, Germany, Gaul,
Switzerland (Helvetia), and North Africa.
Despite efforts to eradicate Isis’s cult in certain peri-
ods in Rome, the cult continued until the reign of the
Emperor Justinian. The Greeks and the Romans were
entranced by the mysteries of her rituals and by the

exotic, charming image that she conveyed. The goddess

was normally portrayed as a woman with a throne on her

head, the spelling of her name in Egyptian, and a symbol

connected to Osirian ceremonies. In many periods she

was depicted as wearing the sun disk, set between the

horns of a cow. In this representation, she was sometimes

associated with the goddess HATHOR.

Island of Trampling A spiritual site called Geswaret

that appeared at the moment of creation in Egypt’s cos-

mological texts, WA and AA, the COMPANIONS OF THE

DIVINE HEART, landed there. The Island of Trampling was

depicted in reliefs in the temple of EDFU. PTA Hwas also

honored as part of this devotion, as well as HORUS.

See also PRIMEVAL MOUND.

Issus This was an ancient battle site near Alexandretta,

on the Gulf of Issus in modern Syria, where ALEXANDER III

THE GREAT(r. 332–323 B.C.E.) inflicted his second major

defeat on the army of DARIUS III CODOMAN(r. 335–332

B.C.E.). After his victory at the GRANICUSRiver, Alexander

conquered Asia Minor and moved toward PHOENICIA

(modern Lebanon) and Egypt. The Persian cavalry raced

to intercept him, vastly outnumbering the Greeks. The

Persian force was routed, along with Darius III’s infantry.

The mother and wife of Darius III were captured in this

confrontation. Alexander refused the Persian overtures of

peace and proceeded toward Egypt.

Istemkhebe (1)(fl. 11th century B.C.E.) Royal woman

of the Twenty-first Dynasty

She was the wife of PINUDJEM(1),the high priest of

AMUN, at THEBES, and the mother of MASAHARTAand Djed-

khonsufankh.

Istemkhebe (2)(fl. 11th century B.C.E.) Royal woman

of the Twenty-first Dynasty

She was the wife of MENKHEPERRESENB(2),the high priest

of AMUNat THEBES, and the mother of SMENDES(2).

Istemkhebe (3)(fl. 11th century B.C.E.) Royal woman

of the Twenty-first Dynasty

She was the wife of PINUDJEM(2),the high priest of AMUN

in THEBES. She was the mother of PSUSENNES II (r.

959–945 B.C.E.) and MA’ATKARÉ(2).

Ita(fl. 19th century B.C.E.)Royal woman of the Twelfth

Dynasty

She was a daughter of AMENEMHET II (r. 1929–1892

B.C.E.). Ita was buried in DASHURbeside her father’s pyra-

mid with her sister, KHNUMT. Her burial chamber con-

tained a bronze ceremonial dagger, a ceremonial mace,

and jewelry, including loose carnelian pieces and glazed

beads. Her tomb was enclosed by a trap door and con-

184 Island of Trampling

Columns forming a hall leading to an interior chamber in the

temple of Isis, the Mother Goddess, at Philae. (Courtesy Steve

Beikirch.)