Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 31/1. (2011)
Articles
Notes on a Dolichenian Relief at Mehadia 275 the other and is standing with his legs on the back of a bull (symbol of genesis force). The associated animal is an eagle. The iconography of Dolichenian artefacts highlight the existence of a paredra of the god known epigraphically as Iuno, Iuno Regina, Iuno Isis, or Iuno Regina Augusta. Identified with Hera, wife of Zeus, she also bears a series of epithets similar to the husbands: aeterna, Augusta, sancta, having a varied iconography - the Dolichena and Assyria epithets being modern inventions (Nemeti 2005,225; CCID, no. 430). Being of Hittite-Assyrian origin,4 the goddess inherited the attributes of Baal’s paredra from Doliche, such as master of animals, of beasts or of the earth (Turcan 1998, 188; Isik 2000, 117-129). Iuno from Doliche stands on the back of a deer, a goat, a cervidae, even a bovine, and exceptionally a lioness. She holds a sceptre and a mirror, the latter being interpreted by some as a pan for libations. In easterners eyes, this attributes brought her close to the Syrian Goddess. Besides her, a series of gods and divine figures - Luna, Sol Invictus, Castores, the Dadofores, Mercurius, Apollo Citharoeus or Diana Lucifera - associated with the Dolichenian cult also appear; their presence reflects the syncretic nature of the cult, resembling other oriental cults (Speidel 1978, 24.) The sanctuary at Mehadia was at the exit of the city, 3 km north towards Plugova village, where important ancient ruins can be found, composed of a war camp and a civil settlement. The cult edifice is to the west from the camp, roughly in front of the fortifications main gate, having three phases of construction (2nd-4th c. AD). First researches took place in 2000, when a section and a cassette were opened; both were 8 x 2 m in size. Archaeological researches didn’t reveal the whole building, thus the results are partial. The analyzed relief was found in the 1/2000 section, sector IVB of the vicus, from small depth (40-50 cm), in the company of other fragments of broken columns, with the relief facing downwards, indicating that the votive objects were reused in phase III of the building. The fragment is part of a chalk column’s shaft (d. 40 cm, H. 65 cm); having in its centre a fragmentary yet well kept relief (H. 38 cm, 1. 31 cm). The piece is held at the Muzeul Banatului from Timisoara (CSIATim, inv. no. 74/2000). The object is dated to late 2nd and early 3rd century, when the edifice was getting a new form (IInd phase). The relief (Fig. 1) shows a sanctuary with a fronton (naiskos, aedicula), with two pillars decorated with vegetal elements with schematic capitals formed of stylized acanthus leaves. The tympanum is decorated with two rows of acanthus leaves arranged around a globus. The rich, vegetal style and the two acroteria delimitating the tympanum indicates a provincial style, elaborated in a modest manner, following imperial and oriental conventions. In the centre of the relief the main scene can be seen: an eagle with stretched wings holding a bay leaf crown in its beak. Under the eagle there is a stag with circular antlers, imitating the shape of the Sun. The animal scene is placed on the left part of the scene, being disproportionate. It is important to note the proportion of the animals: the stag is much larger than the eagle, whose position although signifies not only a symbiosis and a religious syncretism, but also a status of hegemony and power. This proportion we can interpret as being a naturalistic-realistic representation, but also as an elaboration technique of provincial art. First interpretation of this scene was given by D. Benea (2008), who gave the following explanation: the stag and the eagle are well known artistic motifs in the oriental world; from where through Scythian pathway came in circulation in the northern and western areas of the Black Sea and from here onward to the Balkan region. We know manifestations in Getic and 4 The iconography of Iuno resembles the Hittite and Hurrian goddesses Hepat or Meter Hipta.
