Ashtart-Isis or Fortuna-Juno : an enigmatic marble statue from ancient Melite

Abstract

The Maltese islands were snatched from the Punic world and incorporated into the Roman commonwealth by a bloodless naval expedition conducted by one of the ruling Roman consuls of 218 BC. Apart from a cycle of portrait statues of emperor Claudius and of members of his immediate family, which have been dealt with in volume 10 of this journal, and another imperial female portrait statue from the smaller island of Gozo, Malta has featured one large draped female statue which is the subject of this article. Being headless and deprived of any attributes, the statue’s identity is hard to establish with certainty. This article discusses the various identifications proposed since its first mention in 1647, on the basis of its attire and hairdo, as well as its unique and intriguing necklace.