The temple of Isis and Mater Magna in Mainz

Found during excavations for a new shopping arcade in Mainz, the sacred site of the ancient Egyptian deity Isis and the Mater Magna or "great mother" goddess of Asia Minor was carefully recreated in 2000. The temple in Mainz is the only one of its kind in Germany and offers insight into religious mythology and Roman rituals.

The temple was built during the last third of the 1st century AD. Today's full-sensory exhibition takes visitors on a journey back in time to the world of religious mythology that emanated from Rome. More than 300 oil lamps are placed around the temple and there are sacrificial offerings out on open display. Dates, figs and other fruits as well as pine nuts and grain were burnt on the altars, while the fragrance of rare resins and oils was thought to placate the gods.

Animal sacrifices were also carried out, as evidenced by the many chicken bones. Among the recovered statuettes are a pair of lovers entwined in a tight embrace, a Venus figure, a bull with a sacrificial blindfold and a bronze representation of Mercury holding a drawstring purse.

The most important finds from the Isis and Magna Mater temple found beneath an old Roman alleyway are on display in an exhibition room. Here you can see religious inscriptions, sacrificial altars and statuettes, curse tablets and even eerie "voodoo" dolls with prick marks that are centimetres in length. It's a great place to discover the world of the Roman gods and get a feeling for the time when the temple was created. The nocturnal atmosphere of the exhibition room with its ceiling of stars gives plenty of scope for the imagination to soar, with all the senses engaged. Multimedia infotainment stations deepen the insight and provide plenty of enjoyment as well. Closed on Sundays. Guided tours are available on request.


Contact:
E-Mail: info@isis-mainz.de
Internet: http://www.roemisches-mainz.de/