| ---------- What I Like About Ancient Coins ---------- |
A Bronze Statuette of Isis-Tyche from the British Museum
Roman, 2nd Century CE; said to be from Cyprus
The BM card says: "Tyche, who here wears attributes of the popular Egyptian deity Isis, was the goddess of luck and chance. Horns of plenty indicate the riches she could give to mankind if she wished. She was a patron of seamen, and holds a steering-oar to show her function as a guide through life. She was equated with the Roman goddess Fortuna."
That last statement is a little over-simplified. Actually, the Romans were clear that although their deities shared many characteristics with the Greek pantheon, they were distinct from them and would not be worshipped in quite the same way. They only saw their dieties as equivalent to others when it was expedient to do so, such as when claiming proprietary rights over a deity belonging to an enemy.
Isis, on the other hand, was a recent import to Rome and was not differentiated from her Egyptian origin.
The photograph was taken with flash, through glass, with a Canon Ixus 60 in January 2008.
| The content of this page was last updated on 20 January 2008 |