Pharos, Temple of Isis
The Temple of Isis is buried deep beneath the ruins of the Pharos island, beneath the collapsed Tower of Pharos, the famous lighthouse of Alexandria. Here Lara must gain entry to a secret palace of Cleopatra.
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Summary
The main door to the temple is now buried deep beneath fallen rock and flooded by the sea. Although this may not have been intended, the temple was probably intended to be secret and not to be accessed by many of the public in Alexandria. There is a air pocket above, which leads to the Coastal Ruins.
The main door of the temple is opened by use of the Pharos Knot and the Pharos Pillar in niches high above. This leads into a set of steps that lead into a square room with water filled pools around it. The only way to continue from here is to swim through locked chambers to a central room with three flights of stairs to the north, west and south. These flights of stairs lead to different areas of the temple.
To the north is a set of stairs which leads to a long rectagular room with a golden statue at the end. It is unclear whether this is meant to be a statue of Isis or of Cleopatra herself, while it does not have the signature headress of the goddess, a statue of Cleopatra in the image of Isis is a possibility. Here can be found a scarab beetle token and a winding key.
To the west is a large room with a pyramid structure in the centre and three side-rooms filled with flammable oil and flame traps. Two more scarab beetle tokens can be found here. The beetles fit into niches in the pyramid structure to gain a mechanical scarab body.
The last staircase leads into one of Cleopatra's Palaces. This is where the final scarab beetle token can be found, and the palace makes up the last level in Alexandria.
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Notes
The Temple is an Iseum, or a temple dedicated solely to Isis - muchlike a Serapeum is a temple dedicated solely to Serapis - see Apis Bulls. Examples of Iseums range across northern Egypt and in important Roman ruins in Pompeii and in Rome itself.
Isis retained her popularity as a goddess even after the Hellenisation and Romanisation of Egypt that followed successive invasion and annexation. For Romans especially, foreign deities were assimiliated into Roman religion. Isis herself became the centre of a cult practiced not only by native Egyptians but also by Greek and Roman citizens. She was associated with both the Roman and Greek goddesses of the harvest, Ceres and Demeter. Certain images of her with the infant Horus also resemble similar works depicting the Virgin Mary and the young Christ.
Cleopatra, the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, might well have associated herself with this popular goddess to create an aura of mystery and power over her subjects.
Enemies
Gallery
Isis, goddess of fertility, motherhood and also the Mistress of Magic.
