Asia Minor and Syrian Cults and their main traits in the territory of the Central Balkans

Abstract

In the period of Roman reign in the Central Balkans, the cults and theologies from Asia Minor and Syria held an important place in the spiritual culture of the Romanised population. Besides considering the ways of penetration and distribution of the thus far known Asia Minor and Syrian cults, the aim of this paper is to emphasise their significance which, along with the dominant philosophical teachings of the 2nd and 3rd century AD, made them widespread throughout the Roman provinces of the Central Balkans. Certainly the most popular was the Metroac cult of Magna Mater and Attis, which was, judging by epigraphic and archaeological material mostly concentrated in the western and northern parts of the Central Balkans. Something similar can be said for the cult of the Thracian-Phrygian deity Sabazius, which is confirmed in all the parts of the Central Balkans. On the votive monuments the god bears the epithets Paternus, Augustus and his apotropaic and soteriological functions have been attested by relief presentations, sculptures and ivory hairpins with heads in the shape of so-called hands of the god Sabazius forming the gesture of benedictio latina. The popularity of Jupiter Dolichenus is confirmed by numerous epigraphic and archaeological monuments dating from the 2nd to the 4th century AD, in which the god is presented alone or with his paredra Iuno Dolichena. The cults of Jupiter Turmasgades, Jupiter Melanus, Jupiter Cidiessus, Zeus Okkonenos, Zeus Ezzaios and Zeus Synenos are confirmed by only a few monuments, which are of great importance in epigraphic and iconographic sense. It is also important to mention that the cults of the lunar god Mên and the goddesses Artemis of Ephesus and Dea Syria were also known among the Romanised population of the Central Balkans, but presumably within small, closed communities in larger centres like Viminacium and Scupi.