Temple of Isis

A view looking at the eastern façade of the Temple of Isis—looking west-southwest. The main structure (cella) was approached by a staircase on the east that led up to a high podium. There were four Corinthian columns in the front and two on each side of the porch.  Note on each side of the temple the two niches that originally contained statues of Harpocrates and Anubis.

Inside the temple, there were statues of Isis and Osiris.  There were wall paintings and murals of Egyptian landscapes.

Behind the temple are two of the five arches of the Ekklesiasterion, sometimes called the Telesterion.  This is the place for the performance of sacred dramas, meetings, and ritual banquets.  When this picture was taken, there was a display inside the Telesterion and thus the modern fabric that darkened the interior for the modern display.

---

The current structures were built after the earthquake of A.D. 62 and thus were only 17 years old when Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The well-preserved temple was one of the first discoveries at Pompeii in 1764!