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.
TWO MISINTERPRETED JUPPITER DOLICHENUS RELICS FROM PANNÓNIA INFERIOR 1. The fragment of a cultic triangle from the Dolichenum in Brigetio Among the extremely rich bronze plastics of the Brigetio Dolichenum there is a small fragment of a bronze plate( 1 ). That has not been described or analysed so far in any of its publications( 2 ) but that definitely invites further investigation. The fragment is altogether 5,5 cm. wide and 3,9 cm. high (Fig. 1.), and was the lower righthand corner of a large, decorative embossed plate. Its lower edge and the one to the right are relatively well preserved; the corner formed by these two edges in a slightly acute angle is broken off. The rim of the plate is folded back along both edges; the right edge has a 2 mm. split in it with the round countour of a nailhole. This nailhole is situated 1,5 cm. from the lower edge of the plate. (1) Invertory number 4. 1933. 117. Mr. S. Soproni and Mr. V. Cserményi were kind to help me with the examination of the objects. For their help and supporting kindness, I would like to thank them here. (2) The findings were first published by Á. Milch. He also exca veted them. See, the Bulletin of Komárom megyei és városi Múzeum Egyesület, 1900. p. 28. For more recent publications, see N. LÁNG, Klebelsberg Emlékkönyv (Klebesberg Memorial Volume) Bp. 1925, p. 93; ID., LA, II; DissPann, 11/11, 1941, p. 165. — For an essential detailed Studies of the finds, see I. PAULOVICS, EPhK, LVI, 1932, p. 183; ID., AËrt, XLVII, 1934, p. 40; ID., Pannónia, I, 1935, p. 21. = Pannónia Könyvtár, Pécs, 1935, p. 9. — For the latest publications, See Z. KÁDÁR, Die kleinasiatisch-syrischen Kulte zur Römerzeit in Ungarn. EPRO 2. Leiden 1962, p. 45; I. TÓTH, ACD, VII, 1971, p. 91; IX, 1973, p. 105. The remainds of a high relief representation can be seen on the fragment : there are the body and forelegs of a capricom, which is jumping to the left with its head raised. The end of its tail is broken off. Both forelegs are thrust forward but its hooves are missing. The neck and the chest are hairly: the tail is decorated with arched scores( 3 ). The blurred figure of a four-pointed star can be seen in the right lower corner of the plate. The representation is not framed. This seemingly unimportant fragment among the more than fourty bronze objects of the Brigetio Dolichenum merits special attention, as it is the only identifiable remain of the cultic triangle that is one of the well-known triangular shaped cultic images of the Dolichenus cult and that is thought to have been lost( 4 ). The key to identifying the fragment lies in its shape. The two undamaged edges (the lower one and the one to the right) do not meet in a right angle but in smaller acute angle of 74°. Thus the fragment could not have belonged either to a rectangular or oblong-shaped relief: its original shape could have only been a triangle (or perhaps a trapezoid). But since the fragment occurs among objects that were originally excavated at a Dolichenus sanctuary, this would seem reason enough to consider it the triangular shaped cultic object which is so characteristic of the Dolichenus cult( 5 ). (The theoretical possibility of the trapezoid can, in this case, be neglected.) If the (3) The note in the invertory of the Hungarian National Museum by I. Paulovics hypothetically interprets the figure as a „fish-tailed sea monster". (4) I. PAULOVICS, O. C, AËrt, XLII, 1934, 46; Z. KÁDÁR, о. с, p. 52. (5) Merlat Répertoire, 23 (Potaissa — fragment), 50 89
