Children, religion and ritual in Greco-Roman Egypt

This chapter considers children in Greco-Roman Egypt (3rd century BC–4th century AD) in the context of religion and rituals, using a range of literary and archaeological evidence. The chapter shows that in the Greco-Roman period the protection of children still revolved around the figures of Isis and her son Horus, as in the dynastic period. This piece also investigates the key role children played in temples, religious festivals and divination. A selection of examples allows for a discussion on the agency of children in rituals, the ritualization of children’s puberty and the existence of gendered rituals in temples and divination.