Tombstone of Isidorus between Dionysus and Osiris

Funerary tombstones or stelae are important sources for the study of ancient societies since they provide us with a lot of information about ancient religious beliefs and social and economic conditions of these societies in addition to the artistic and architectural styles prevalent at the time of their construction. The stelae of ancient Terenouthis/Kom Abou Billou, known under the modern name of Al-Tarrana, are especially important in this regard since they shed light on the society of the ancient city, their population, religion and art during the Roman period and late antiquity.
This paper studies a stele of a person named Isidorus and preserved in Cairo Museum. As the study shows, the stele is especially rich in its cultural and artistic mix, which reflects the styles of the period. The point is demonstrated by studying the Egyptian, Greek and Roman influences in the tombstone. The paper further demonstrates that the Greek society living in the city was not isolated from Egyptian beliefs as shown by the symbols which indicate simultaneously a religious and artistic syncretism. The study further concentrates on the limits of this contact between the various segments of populations during the period- the Egyptians, Greek and Roman