Final Draft - Preview Matter - Florida State University

or for the death of someone else, who themselves endured or who forced others
to endure such things as this. 13
But before we assume that this quote speaks out against animal worship, we should
consider its context. K. Dowden suggests that a key component to the “Isis-kit” worn by
Volusius was a “dog’s-head mask,” 14 and this seems to be the prevailing scholarly opinion.
Dowden further notes that “Anubiaci” were priests specifically devoted to the jackal-headed god
Anubis, and this term is parallel to the designation “Isiaci,” priests of Isis. 15 Volusius is
designated as taking up the garb of one of the “Isiaci,” priests who shaved their heads and wore
the “Isis knot.” 16 It is important to note that there is no mention of Volusius donning a mask of
the god Anubis; he is merely stated as having worn the garb of an Isiaci, not one of the Anubiaci.
It is also important to consider that the cult of Isis constitutes a special case in that this cult
suffered a great many reversals of fortune in regards to its reputation amongst the Roman elite.
We should consider that many wealthy houses must have been decorated with Egyptian motifs,
as is suggested by the great number of houses in Pompeii decorated in the Third Pompeian style
(Fig. I.2). 17 We can not use Valerius Maximus’ testimony to argue that the most offensive aspect
of Isaic worship was the inclusion of the god Anubis in the cult. I would argue that Valerius
Maximus does not speak out against the cult of Isis because of the worship of therianthropic
figures but instead speaks out against the fact that a member of the Roman upper-class was
13
Val. Max. VII.3.8. Latin Text taken from Valerius Maximus Memorable Doings and Sayings, Loeb Classical
Library, Vol. 2, edited by D.R. Shackleton Bailey, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000, pp. 135, 137.
(Translation by Author.)
Veniam nunc ad eos, quibus salus astutia quaesita est. M. Volusius aedilis pl. proscriptus adsumpto Isiaci [Italics
mine] habitu per itinera viasque publicas stipem petens quisnam re vera esset occurrentes dinoscere passus non est
eoque fallaciae genere tectus in M. Bruti castra peruenit. quid illa necessitate miserius, quae magistratum populi
Romani abiecto honoris praetexto alienigenae religionis obscuratum insignibus per urbem iussit incedere? o nimis
aut hi suae vitae aut illi alienae mortis cupidi, qui talia vel ipsi sustinuerunt uel alios perpeti coegerunt!
14
Dowden 1998, 124.
15
Dowden 1998, 124.
16
Turcan 1999, 111.
17
Ling (1990, 52) outlines the basic characteristics of the Third Pompeian Style as wall-painting that abandoned the
illusionistic character of the previous phase for “surface effects and fastidious ornament.” Roman wall painting
between the years of 20 BCE and CE 45 is also characterized by tall, slender structures that do not adhere to
architectonic logic, small panels that depict genre or landscape scenes (sometimes with a sacred or mythological
character), and large swathes of solid color (typically red, black, or yellow). The House of Loerius Tiburtinus is
replete with Egyptianizing motifs and objects including another fresco depicting a second priest of Isis and statues of
sphinxes, the god Bes, and crocodiles. The Augustan Period is known to have been one in which an Egyptianizing
vogue was prominent in the Roman Empire. It is quite possible, that the owner, or a member of his family, was
involved in the cult of Isis, which enjoyed great popularity in Pompeii. It is also important to note, that the priest
shown in Fig. I.2. possesses no animal attributes.
4