Roma e l'Egitto nel relitto di Mercurio a Camarina

Abstract

Along the southern coast of Sicily, off the coast of Camarina, at the end of the 1990s, the cargo of a ship that sank around the 1st
century AD was discovered. Among the objects recovered (now on display at the Museo Archeologico of Ragusa) are decorated
vases, oil lamps and bronze statuettes. In all likelihood, the objects found were not part of a commercial cargo but belonged to
a set of tableware belonging to a wealthy Roman. Among the objects is also a statuette depicting a phallic dwarf: an apophoreta,
perhaps a gift for diners reminiscent of depictions of Nilotic dwarfs. Of considerable value are two handles depicting an ibis
and a jug bearing a medallion with a female figure holding an animal in her arms, which can undoubtedly be considered a
representation of Isis. These objects offer a valuable opportunity to reflect on the extent of the Isiac cult that travelled along
the routes of the imperial Mediterranean on the one hand, and on the Egyptianising fashion that spread in Rome and among
its aristocracy after the annexation of Egypt to the territories of the Empire on the other.