Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32/2. (2012)
Articles
146 I. BODA house. Apollo was considered the god who protected Augustus’ Roman army in the battle at Actium against Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra in 31 BC. Thus the emperor built on the Palatine hill a temple in honour of this god. In the province of Dacia, divinities from the classic’ Graeco-Roman pantheon are widespread (Bärbulescu 2003, 176). Cult acts for Apollo are not numerous. They are mostly epigraphic monuments that invoke the god with different epithets: Augustus, Conservator, Sanctus, Pirunenus, Salutaris, praestantissimus, etc. (Berciu-Popa 1972; Pescaru-Alicu 2000, 125). Apollo is worshipped in over 25 inscriptions: on an altar from Potaissa he is named Deus Fortis Phoebus Parthicus, and in Apulum he had the epithet Salutaris (Macrea 1978, 98-105). The centre for the cult of this god is believed to be the city of Apulum (again one of the centres for Iuppiter Dolichenus) where epigraphic evidence mention a temple dedicated to the god Apollo (Pescaru-Alicu 2000,125) 12 inscriptions and a relief. Besides the on in this roman settlement we have another temple attested archaeologically at Tibiscum, respectively Räzboieni-Cetate and Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa must have had another. In the Roman Empire he is mostly invoked with the epithet Phoebus, a solar Apollo by excellence and Apollo Pythius, god of oracles, his main domains being that of the sun and of oracles. It is hard to establish the iconographic relation between the studied divinities, many attributes being similar to both Apollo and Iuppiter Dolichenus because of their cosmic, solar but also salvation-giving aspect of both gods (Szabó 2008, 99-111). Apollo is considered the god of the Sun, of the world, he is the triumph of Good over Evil, victory over the enemy, victory of life over death but first of all he is known and worshipped for his ability to give oracles. This relationship Apollo-Iuppiter Dolichenus is encountered in the Roman provincial environment. Apollo in dolichenian sanctuaries from Roman Dacia In several sanctuaries besides Dolichenus Apollo appears in one way or another. Based on the literature of dolichenian temples from the Roman Empire (Merlat 1960, CCID) over 25 sanctuaries are known in the following settlements: in Syria: Doliche, Dura Europos; in Moesia Superior: Brza Palanka (Egeta); in Dacia: Cásei (Samum), Moigrad (Porolissum), Zlatna (Ampelum), Alba Iulia (Apulum), Sarmizegetusa (Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa) and Mehadia (Praetorium); in Pannonia Inferior: Adony (Vetus Salina) and Tác (Gorsium); in Pannonia Superior: Petronell (Carnuntum), Ó-Szőny (Brigetio) and Szombathely (Savaria); in Noricum: Zollfeld (Virunum) and Mauer an der Url (Locus Felicis?); in Raetia: Pfünz (Statio Vetonianis); in Germania Superior: Zugmantel, Saalburg, Stockstadt, Heddernheim (Nida) and Wiesbaden (Aquae Mattiacorum), in Rome: Aventin; and in Africa: Lepcis (Leptis Magna) and Lambese (Lambaesis). The two temples of Iuppiter Dolichenus from Roman Dacia were found at Porolissum and Mehadia. The dolichenum from Porolissum was identified north of the fortification from Pomät in 1939, but it was partially researched later in several campaigns, between 1990-1993, 1996 and 1998-1999 (Gudea-Tamba 2001,19-24). The temple was interpreted in different ways. Alicu (2002, 212-218) considered that the temple was built over an existing wooden building that could be a taberna, well-known by the inhabitants of the city and by the soldiers from the roman military camp, this being the reason why it is mentioned in the inscription. This could justify the different reading proposed by Piso (2001, 224-228, nr. 2) that the temple was built instead of the pub:
