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Many religions were syncretistic, meaning that as they grew and came into contact with other religions, they adopted new beliefs and modified their practices to reflect their changing environment. Both Greek and Roman religious beliefs were deeply influenced by the so-called mystery religions of the East, including the Egyptian cult of Isis, which revealed beliefs and practices to the initiated that remained unexplained, or mysterious, to the uninitiated. Most popular Roman cults had associations with these mystery religions and included the prospect of an afterlife. The cult of Venus (the Roman version of Aphrodite) became combined with that of the Egyptian goddess Isis and enjoyed enormous popularity, especially in Egypt and Syria. Her fleshy, wide-hipped appearance in these images emphasizes her maternal characteristics. Her eyes were originally inlaid.