Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 31/1. (2011)
Articles
Notes on a Dolichenian Relief at Mehadia 279 Fig. 6. Relief with Turmasgades inscription from Romula (after Sanie 1981). a cervidae, or holding the head of an animal (horse, snake or cervidae). In the opinion of J. F. Gilliam, the animal under the eagle represents the omnipresent power of the heavenly god and his dominance over living nature. Figured examples of Turmasgades shows a small cervidae, hard to identify, in a humble position, where the eagle appears more proportionate. The eagle standing on stag’ iconography is hard to identify and differentiate, especially in provincial art, many analogies existing when in these hypostases Iuppiter or Turmasgades appears. The relief at Romula (Fig. 6) is one of the most beautiful and interesting concerning the iconography of Syrian cults in Dacia (Isac 1971b, 111-120). The fragmentary monument with inscription shows an eagle with unfolded wings, standing on an animal, most likely a stag. The head of the bird and part of a wing is missing. The animal’s snout is ajar, tongue hanging, legs stretched in a last effort to flee (Sanie 1981, 101) it is the image of a victim. The dimension of the eagle reported to the stag can be very well noticed. This aspect suggests the eagle’s victory. The inscription is dedicated to Turmasgades by two persons with Roman names: Turmasgada / Max(imus) Maximinus et/Iulianus Maximinus / ex votopos(uerunt) (CIL III 8027; ILS 4074; Sanie 1981, 38, pl. III/5). In the temple at Dura Europos, one of the two naoi is dedicated to Dolichenus, the other to Turmazgazdes. This archaeological discovery underlined the tight association of these two Commagenian cults (Nemeti 2005, 236-237). The closest topographical analogy is given by a piece from Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, kept at the Museum of Lugoj, similar in way of representation with the piece from Mehadia. The sculpture represents an eagle Fig. 7. Dolichenian sculpture from Ulpia with wide unfold wings, Standing on the head of a cervi- Traiana Sarmizegetusa (after Sanie 1981). dae. From the sculpture the head of the bird and part of the animal’s head is missing. The base of the monument has a rectangular shape, and the back side of the sculpture shows no sign of processing (Fig. 7). S. Sanie (1981, 70-71), interpreting the research done by F. Cumont and H. Seyrig, states that the couple formed by the eagle and cervidae could be the symbolic representation of the celestial god and the goddess of earth. In these two reliefs the triumph of the eagle over the cervidae is displayed. The relation between them is not of the same status, we can’t talk of subordination. In our opinion, the symbol in which the Syrian god triumphs over his enemy should be seen here, an ancient motif in oriental iconography and mythology. The monument analyzed by us depicts other relation between the eagle and cervidae. A subordinate relation cannot be categorically seen here. Through analysis of the visual language, we observe a victory of the celestial god (eagle with bay leaf crown),
