Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 15. 1974 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1976)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Tóth I.: Two Misinterpreted Jupiter Dolidunus Relics from Pannonia Inferior. XV, 1974. p. 89–98.

The person who dedicated the base was of Syrian origin. More exactly, he came to Pannónia from the vicinity of Doliche in northern Syria, from the uicus Arfuaris Silua (unfortunately this cannot be identified more precisely). He was not the only person of such origin in Pannónia at the age of Commodus and Severus. About a dozen persons are known to have come to Brigetio(

53

), Carnuntum(

54

), Savaria(

55

), or the vicinity of the so-called Amber Road(

56

) from this section of northern Syria, often from the very nighbourhood of Commagene or that of Doliche(

57

). They were always careful to meticulously inscribe their places of origin: they often even named the small, today unidentifiable uicuses(

5H

). In addition to always referring to their homeland this group of inhabitants can be observed to have remained loyal to the cult of their home deity, who appeared in the West as figure of Juppiter Dolichenus. (53) Cf. L. BARKÓCZI, Brigetio. DissPann, 11/22, 1951, 38.; Aur Antonius dues Surus ex re[g]. Dolic; Ibid., 96: Aelius Domitius uet. leg. II. Adi. domo Erapuli dues Surus: ibid., 93: M. Aur. Polideucus dec. тип. Breg. (sic) ex region. Dulca, uico Galan.; ibid., 113: Aur Bassus ex regioné Seuma, uico Odia; ibid 122: M. Aur. An[t]o[n]ianus do. ex ciuitate Zeugma; ibid. 209: Domitius Titus dec. Selue(cia) (abl.) Zeugm(ae), — cf. J. ÖE§KA — R. HOSEK, о. c, 42. m; cf. L. BARKÓCZI: Komárom Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, 1968. 78. (54) GIL, III. 4453.: Sept. Aistomodius reg(ione) Germ(anicia). For the debate relating to the epigraph, cf. A. MÓCSY, AAarchHung., XXV, 1973, 395, — where he again rejects the reading ... reg(i) Germ(anorum) as incorrect from the viewpoint of content and epigraphies. (5 5). RIU, 110: [Au]rel. Iulio Falado ciu\_i Suro]. . . Aur. Bassus dues [Surus]: RIU, 113: [Aurl] Marianus [Aurl] Zenoni au[u]nculo ciui [Suro] ex regioné Girro uico [—• —• —] BENGALI

. For these two epigraphs and for the oriental finds in Savaria in detail cf. L. BALLA, AArchHung, XV, 1963, 228; — Dolichenus epigraphs of persons from Northern Syria: I. TÓTH, AÉrt, XOVIII, 1971, 80. : Fabi. On[— — —] the dedication contains its place of origin: Genio uici Chanazibo et Genio ciui ciui[t]atis Gaeser. [Ger]m. ; ibid, 81.; [ civ]es [Suri] ex ciuitate [Seleu]cia Ze[u]g(mae)

. A problem existes in the reading of the inscription RIU 40. complemented by A. Mócsy ... [res]tituer[unt] (cf. Die römischen Steindenkmäler von Savaria. Budapest, 1971, Nr. 9.) I think the reading (c)iues is accaptable: lui. [Tu]linus [et] Aruel. [A]ntipa[ter c]iues [Suri], cf. I. TÓTH, AÉrt, С, 1973, 253. — This find — on the basis of the place where it had been found —- can also be hypothetically, connected with the Savaria Dolichenum. (56) CIL, III, 11701 (Celeia): Aur Maximus ciuis Surus ex regioneZeugmauicoHennia, Aur. BassusBarathe Aur. Sabinus ciuis Surus ex regioné Zeugma uico [— — —] A. —- J. SASEL, Inscriptiones latinae quae in Jugoslavia inter annos MGMXL et MGMLX repertae et editae sunt. Situla, V, 1963, 132, No. 389. (Celeia): Aur. Gaianus dues Surus. — These two latter findigs come from outside Pannónia; however, their connection with the Syrian inhabitants mentioned above is beyond any doubt. Cf. L. BALLA, О. C, 233. (57) L. BARKÓCZI; О. С, DissPann, XXII, 1951, F. 38, 93. (58) Cf. the origo-definitions of the inscriptions referred to in notes № 53—57. According to what is known today, this group of Syrians invoked this deity only in their religious inscriptions. Also in the above mentioned towns, they were the initiators and the most influential people in the cult of Juppiter Dolichenus(

59

). The inhabitants from northern Syria probably arrived in Pannónia together, and proceeded to settle in the Pannonian towns either in smaller or larger homogenous groups(

60

)

. Their culture and beliefs were directly transplanted from their oriental homeland, making them most probably the first significant propagators of oriental religiousness along the Danube(

61

). The person who dedicated the base in question was also a member of this group of people from Commagene in northern Syria. For this reason, as in Brigetio and Savaria, there surely existed an oriental population forming homogenous groups in Aquincum too. From the viewpoint of religious history, on the other hand, Har[fua]rinus surely dedicated the inscribed base in question to the deity of his homeland Doliche. Today there exist only scattered relics from the Juppiter Dolichenus cult in Aquincum(

62

). This is not surprising, however, since most of relics of the Juppiter Dolichenus cult are known from excavated sanctuaries demolished after 235, namely closed groups of finds(

63

). The dispersion of the finds in Pannónia —and outside Pannónia for that matter

—seems to indicate in most instances that the scattered finds once belonged to the fixtures of a totally demolished sanctuary or one that has not yet been discovered but surely has a rich inventory of buried objects(

64

). This supposition is supported in Pannónia, for example, by relics found at Carnuntum and Savaria. During the excavations at both towns scattered finds were soon followed by the discovery of the complete group of finds of the sanctuary(

65

). (59) I. TÓTH, о. с, AÉrt, XCVIII, 1971, 83. (60) L. BALLA,; О. С, 233; L. BARKÓCZI, AArchHung, XVI, 1964, 29. (61) A. BRELICH, DissPann, 11/10, 1939. 130; I. TÓTH, о. c, AÉrt, XCVIII, 1971, 83.; ID., Studium, II, 1971. 23. (62) Merlat Répertoire, 11:1. o. m. Dulceno Heliopolüan[o] sacru[m] fecit Aureli. Secu[nd.] ueter. leg. II Ad. p f. pro se et suis posu[it] v. s. I. т.; ibid., 72: /. о. т. Dol. — For the base of a Nemesis statue, cf. N. LÁNG, Berzeviczy Emlékkönyv. (Berzevicy Memorial Volume). Budapest, 1934. p. 8. The finds connected with Aquincum in the course of later research (Merlat Répertoire 69—70.) and their true origin were discussed most recently by J. FITZ, AArchHung, XXIV, 1972, 38; I. TÓTH, The Problems of the Dolichenus Altar at Gorsium. Oikumene, II, 1977. (63) I. TÓTH, о. с, AArchHung, XXV, 1973, 109. (64) Cf. Merlat Répertoire, passim. — This question will be discussed at full length at a later dote. (65) J. DELL, AEM, XVI, 1893, 176; I. TÓTH, О. С, AÉrt, XCVIII, 1971, 80. 7 Alba Regia XV. 97