Marble portrait of a young boy as a worshipper of Isis

This statue demonstrates the distinctive appearance of the members of the cult of Isis, which spread through the Roman empire after the conquest of Egypt in 31 BC. It was traditional for members of this cult to wear their hair in long locks covering their ears until puberty, when the hair was shaved off and presented to the goddess as part of a coming of age rite. Images of Isis's son, Horus, also display this sort of hairstyle. The Iseum, or temple to Isis, which stood near where the Santa Maria sopra Minerva chuch in Rome now stands, was the largest and grandest outside Egypt.