The Temple of Isis and Serapis stood on the Campus Martius in Rome. The Iseum Campense, the temple of Isis, faced the Serapeum across a plaza. They were dedicated to the Egyptian deities Isis and Serapis and combined Egyptian and Hellenistic architecture. The cult was probably introduced to Rome in the second century BC, and in 43 BC the Second Triumvirate voted a new temple to the two gods. The exact date of construction is unknown.
The complex measured roughly 722 by 230 feet (220 by 70 meters) in a proposed reconstruction. It had wells, obelisks and Egyptian statues, and paired obelisks of red granite from Aswan. The great fire of 80 AD destroyed it, and Domitian rebuilt it.
The remains of the Serapeum lie under the church of Santo Stefano del Cacco. Eight obelisks have been unearthed, and several now stand elsewhere, including in Piazza Navona.
Comments