Isis Holding a Cobra
Egyptian/Roman, late 1st century BCE–2nd century CE
Bronze

This depiction of the Egyptian goddess Isis highlights the distinctive “Isis knot” tied between her breasts. The sheaves of grain adorning her crown are not traditionally Egyptian but instead link her to Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Isis commanded an immense following—not only in Alexandria, where she was venerated alongside Serapis, and in Rome, but also across many of the empire’s most important provincial centers.