The Egyptian Temples of Oxyrhynchus and their Personnel Under the Roman Empire

Oxyrhynchus is an interesting case study for reconstructing the status and role of native temples and their personnel during the Roman occupation of Egypt. The wealth of documents stemming from the highly bureaucratised imperial administration provides detailed information about the many individuals serving one of the major sanctuaries of the city, the temple of Athena- Thoeris, Isis and Serapis, and the changes to this religious organisation and other temples under the new rulers. Moreover, the University of Barcelona Archaeological Mission's recent discovery of the Osireion, almost unknown in the papyrological documentation, seems to further demonstrate that the Romans played a significant role in ensuring the continuity of local religious activities up until the beginning of the 3rd century AD.