JEAN-PIERRE MONTESINO

De Cyble Isis
Paris: ditions Cyble, 2011.
173 pp. ISBN 978-2-915840-27-8

The book De Cyble Isis is a collective work edited by Jean-Pierre Montesino with
the seal of ditions Cyble, house that he directs.
Jean-Pierre Montesino founded in 1988 the Gallery Cyble in Paris, a gallery
devoted to the Antiquity, with particular attention to the Egyptian Civilization.
In his introduction to this work (Introduction: de la Valle du Nil aux Berges de la Seine),
the editor explains the reason behind this publication: a celebration for the recovery of a
statue

of

Cyble

sold

by

him

at

the

moment

of

the

creation

of

the

gallery/bookstore/publishing house Cyble, which owes to that its name. With this goal in
mind Montesino invited a group of renowned Egyptologists to collaborate in the
publication of this work dedicated to the goddess Isis.
In addition to this introduction the book consists on ten articles, responsibility of
different authors, and in which the goddess Isis is the common thread. The first, written by
Pierre Tallet is entitled Conjurateurs de Serket et repousseurs de scorpions au Sina la fin de la XII e
Dynastie (pp. 15 a 26); the following belongs to Pascal Vernus and its called Isis et les
scorpions: le frmissement du littraire sous le fatras magique (pp. 27 a 38); the third article, Tous les
gyptiens lui rendent un culte Isis en gypte aux poques ptolmaque et Romaine (pp. 39 a 74), is
the responsability of Franoise Dunand; the next article by Gihane Zaki is entitled Isis,
Dame de Syne. La fougueuse, celle qui attaque pour protger lgypte (pp. 75 a 90); the fifth article
called Une Isis Thbaine au temple de Deir Chelouit (pp. 91 a 114) was written by Christiane
Zivie-Coche; the following article is authored by Christine Favard-Meeks and is entitled Isis
Behbeit (pp. 115 a 134); Laurent Bricault wrote Isis Rome (pp. 135 a 152); the article IsisOsiris. Le sens selon les sources dEusbe de Csare (pp. 153 a 158) was written by Grard
Roquet; in the penultimate we have Les mamelles dIsis (pp. 159 a 164) from Annie Forgeau
and finally we have an article by Philippe Collombert Isis Paris (pp. 165 a 173).
The first article, Conjurateurs de Serket et repousseurs de scorpions au Sina la fin de la XIIe
Dynastie, refers to the contexts of the Egyptian expeditions in the Sinai peninsula, an area
that Tallet calls a reservoir of raw materials and object of regular expeditions since the
First Dynasty. In this region should be noted the presence of gods like Thot, Ptah and
1

Hathor, as opposed to the absence of Isis. This goddess is only identified by two titles of
employees, present in the expeditions, which had a close connection with Isis: Kherep Serket
(conjurateus de Serket) and Shed Ouhaouh (repousseurs de scorpions).
The author analyzes these titles and functions associated with them, questioning
what were the actual duties of these employees: would they have a medical or a symbolic
role?
The article is illustrated and the text is accompanied by footnotes.
The second article, written by Pascal Vernus, Isis et les scorpions: le frmissement du
littraire sous le fatras magique, focuses on the presence of Isis, a goddess who according to the
author stands out particularly in the Egyptian pantheon, in a certain type of texts texts of
magical nature.
The magic is presented in this civilization as a response to the dangers of everyday
life and was closely associated with this deity.
The author has selected three texts that he describes and analyzes emphasizing the
literary nature that they assume, i.e., the existence of a construction that goes beyond the
simple magical spells.
The text is accompanied by footnotes.
Dunand wrote the article entitled Tous les gyptiens lui rendent un culte Isis en gypte
aux poques ptolmaque et Romaine that makes a true synthesis of the ubiquity of this goddess
in the Ptolemaic and Roman period, covering the most diverse areas of intervention, either
within the Official Cult or in personal religious practices.
Isis had, in these periods, an important role, for example, in the political life, in
funerary religion, in the field of personal devotion and also within the artistic
manifestations.
The author analyzes all these aspects and also discusses the changes/adjustments
arising from the mix between the Egyptian and the Greek traditions. Also wonders about
the relevance that this goddess assumes in these periods.
The article is illustrated with several images.
The fourth article is entitled Isis, Dame de Syne. La fougueuse, celle qui attaque pour
protger lgypte, authored by Gihane Zaki, and refers to a specific area that the author calls
the southern fringe. The article is specifically dedicated to the temples of Philae and
Elephantine. This area of the territory assumed in the Ptolemaic period a significant
political and economic importance and was therefore received special attention.

The article focuses on the area referred to as dodecaschoinos and focuses on the
relationship between the strategic role of Elephantine and the Khnum temple and the new
temple of Isis at Philae.
The article is illustrated with several images.
Then Christiane Zivie-Coche gives us a more specific case in the article Une Isis
Thbaine au temple de Deir Chelouit.
Drawing the attention to the importance of the Theban region and the associated
theological constructions, the author focuses on the temple of Deir Chelouit, temple that
Isis shares with Montu and Osiris. The dating of the temple fluctuates between the
Ptolemaic and the Roman periods.
We find in this article a detailed analysis of the temple construction, decorations
and inscriptions.
The article is illustrated by several pictures, plans and diagrams and is enriched by a
bibliography at the end.
Christine Favard-Meeks wrote Isis Behbeit referring her analysis to the one she
claims to be the oldest place of worship of Isis, since the Old Kingdom, and which
remained until the Roman period.
The author makes a detailed analysis of the site which allows not only to know it
better but also to understand different facets of this goddess, her relationship with other
deities, such as Re or Atum, and prospects on the cult that was provided to her.
This article is illustrated with several images and is accompanied by a bibliography
at the end.
Laurent Bricault wrote Isis Rome, an article that examines the entry and
establishment of Isis in Rome, The author begins by pointing out that the sources are
sparse and heterogeneous and that this is a mysterious subject.
Beginning with the context of the fall of the Alexanders Empire at the hands of
Rome, the author, based on classical writers, traces de route of this goddess in the context
of Roman Empire and defines how the cult has flourished.
The article is illustrated by several pictures.
The article Isis-Osiris. Le sens selon les sources dEusbe de Csare, written by Grard
Roquet refers to the work of Eusbe de Csare, a writer, theologian and Christian
apologist, in the analysis of the meaning of Isis and Osiris name.

In penultimate we have the article, Les mamelles dIsis from Annie Forgeau. The
author analyses a wood panel of the Museum dOrsay (FR 3627), a work dated from 1985
of the artist Paul Lacombe.
If the image apparently has nothing of the Egyptian canon, the truth is that the
woman represented is Isis. And the author intends to reveal, in this article, the
iconographic sources behind this representation.
The article is illustrated with an image and a brief bibliography at the end.
Finally there is the paper of Philippe Collombert, Isis Paris, that speaks about
curious discoveries made in Paris in 1944, which, by the context of that moment, were
eventually abandoned and forgotten.
The discoveries were architectural structures dated from de Roman Period where
were found Egyptian traces papyri and objects.
The author bases his analysis on a brief report about the excavations at the site and
discusses the discoveries that were made therein and the presence of other Egyptian
remains in the Paris area.
The text is accompanied by an image and footnotes.
De Cyble Isis is, therefore, a work that addresses diverse topics, related to the
investigation areas of the invited authors, and the common thread is the goddess Isis.
The majority of the addressed issues are quite specific and particular and, in general,
we do not find its treatment in other contexts. So, this is a work that allows us to know
further this important deity of the Egyptian pantheon.
The diversity of addressed topics certifies, as Jean-Pierre Montesino refers, the
popularity of this goddess, the multitude of study fields she offers and also the range of
time in which she is identified.