Sanctuary of Isis and the Magna Mater, Mainz

[2] The remains of the building, selected finds, and a multimedia framework presentation can be viewed in a small museum in the basement of the Römerpassage.

In the sanctuary in Mogontiacum both Isis – here with the epithets Panthea ('All-Goddess') and Regina ('Queen') – and the mother goddess Magna Mater were worshipped according to the found inscriptions.

Both cults already had a long tradition in the Roman Empire: Kybele/Magna Mater had been worshipped in Rome since the end of the 3rd century BC, while Isis had long been part of the pantheon in the Egyptian pharaonic empire, coming into contact with the Roman world through Hellenistic culture and Octavian's conquest of the Ptolemies.

In the Roman republic and at the beginning of the imperial period up to Tiberius partly forbidden, the Isis cult finally established itself under Emperor Caligula.

Since the founder of the Flavian imperial house, Emperor Vespasian, had received his destiny of rule in Alexandria from the Egyptian deity Serapis, the Flaviers had a close connection to oriental cults.

During the subsequent archaeological excavations, both the building complex of the sanctuary and a women's grave of the Hallstatt burial ground dated 680-650 BC were documented.

Fifteen tons of soil were removed from the excavation site for further archaeobotanical and archaeozoological evaluation, in addition to 49 m³ of other recovered finds.

Initially, it was planned to remove the structural remains according to the archaeological documentation and to continue with the construction work for the shopping arcade.