“Syrians call you Astarte … Lycian peoples call you Leto”: Ethnic Relations and Circulating Legends in the Villages of Egypt

Abstract

The peoples referenced in the title of this paper—Syrians and Lycians—are among those that occupy the attention of one Isidoros, an inhabitant of an Egyptian village in the Lake district (Fayum) near the beginning of the first century bce. We know nothing about Isidoros beyond what he reveals in the four hymns for the goddess Renenutet or Hermouthis (in Greek transliteration) which he had inscribed on monumental slabs at the entrance to a temple in the village of Narmouthis (modern Medinet Madi).1 These inscriptions aimed at honoring a local goddess, remembering an ideal pharaoh who founded the temple (Amenemhet III), and bringing together local Egyptians and immigrants; altogether, they provide a fascinating glimpse into important dimensions of social and cultural life in this period.