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.
following points are also taken into consideration, the fragment is surely seen as that of a cultic triangle of Dolichenus. a.) The compositional proportions of the Dolichenus triangles known so far are homogeneous : they are all acute-angled isosceles triangles but never equilateral. This means that the sides of the isosceles triangle are always longer than the base; therefore the angles at the base are always between 70— 75°( 6 ). On this basis the fragment in question is presumably a Dolichenus triangle since a 74° angle is formed by one of its base. b.) The way the undamaged rims of the fragment were bent back seems to certify that the object had originally been fixed to another, likewise thin surface. (The width of the fold is 2,3 mm.) This specific feature precisely corresponds to the technics used for the cultic triangles discovered so far (Kömlőd, Mauer a.d. Url). They all consist of two plates attached to each other by folding each of their rims back until they overlap and soldering them with tin( 7 ). The bent back rim of the Brigetio fragment would seem to attest to a similar process. c.) The nailhole is on the right edge of the Brigetio fragment 1,5 cm. above the lower rim. As regards its position, this nailhole corresponds exactly to those on the small connecting plates soldered on the horizontal bronze strip of the signum-holder, a well known find of the Brigetio Dolichenum( 8 ). When the fragment that have been examined so far are placed into the slot between the two horizontal strips of the signum-holder, the two nailholes correspond exactly (Fig. 2.). The distance between the two horizontal strips of the signum-holder is 4,7 mm. This also corresponds exactly to the width of the two backfolded edges together —each is folded back 2—2,3 mm. — including the thickness of the soldering material. The position of the nailhole of this fragment therefore (Romulianum), 65—66 (Lussonium), 147—148 (Trigisamum), 152—153 (Mauer a. d. Url), 166 (Lentia —fragment), 168 (Aalen—fragment), 321—322 (Heddernheim), 346 (unknown provenance, Sofia, Arch. Mus.) — The reconstruction of two or three cultic triangles from the large Dolichenum excavated at adony (Vetus Salina) in 1975 promises significant results. Zs. Bánki is preparing the publication of the finds. She was kind enough to let me see her preliminary work on the finds, for which I am grateful. (6) The only exception is the Heddernheim triangle Merlat Repertoire, 321, for which the angles are 79—80°. But here the top vertex would have stretched so far (the upper angle would have had to be 20°), that its creator formed an Smaller triangle with vertex of 72 and placed it on top of the original, forming an arrow-head at the top. (7) I. PATJLOVICS, О. C, AÉrt, XLVII, 1934, p. 45; cf. Merlat Essai, 171. (8) I. PATJLOVICS, O. C, XLVII, 1934; Merlat Répertoire, p. 98; Z. KÁDÁR, о. с, 51—52; с. f. I. TÓTH, AArchHung, XXVIII, 1976. p. 96. helps justify the statement of I. Paulovics made fourty years ago according to which, ,,Two pairs of holes must have been on each of the Brigetio cultic plates that are lost"( 9 ). These three aspects point to the same conclusion: the fragment originates from the one of the plates of a cultic triangle in the Brigetio Dolichenum. Furthermore the nailhole found on the right edge of the fragment most probably indicates that this triangle was identical with the cultic image placed on the signum-holder ( X(i ) that belonged to the same group of finds. If this hypothesis true —which, on the basis of the relationship in form and content of the two objects, it undoubtedly is —the original dimensions of the plate can be fairly accurately calculated. The distance between the two nailholes on the horizontal strips of the s^mm-holder is 18,3 cm. Accordingly then, and with regard to the fact that the preserved nailhole 5—6 mm. further in from the lower vertex of the plate, the base of the triangle can be considered to have been about 19,5—to 20 cm. long. On the basis of this and with the help of the measurable angle (74°), the length of the two sides and the hight of the triangle can be easily calculated^ 1 ). The results of the calculations (height approximately 34 cm., with further calculations found in note 11) are naturally only as valuable as the hypothesis itself ; they do however, help in theoretically reconstructing the lost plate according to its original proportions (Fig. 3.). To be able to fully reconstruct the object the small, well-known statue of Victoria, also found in the Brigetio Dolichenum( 12 ) has to be taken into consideration. As far as is known, it is almost certain that on the top vertex of each Dolichenus triangle stood a small statue of Victoria( 13 ), as can be seen on the intact piece found at Mauer a.d. Url( 14 ); there also exists a Victoria figure that belongs to the vertex of (9) I. PAULOVICS, O. C, AÉrt, XLVII, 1934, 46. (10) Ibid. ; Merlat Répertoire, 98.; Merlat Essai, 171; Z. KÁDÁR о. с, 51—52. (11) P. Sz. T u г с s á n y i, an employee of the Computer Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences helped me with the geometrical calculations. For this help, I like to thank her here. The dimension of the triangle were calculated as follows : The base of the isosceles triangle is a, one of its sides is b, the angle between the two is a, and the angle formed by the two sides is ß If a = 20 cm., a = 74°, and ß = 32°, then : b = a x sin a sin ß = 20 X 0,9613 0,5299 = 36,28 cm axtg« _ 20X3,487 = u 2 ~ 2 m = bxsina = 36,28x0,9613 = 34,87 cm. (12) Hungarian National Museum, invertory Number 4 1933.99.; Merlat Repertoire, 88. (13) Merlat Essai, 171. (14) Merlat Répertoire, 152.; cf. ibid. p. 134. 90
