domestic arula of Cybele

MACB 835-090

Object type arula

Fabric African production pottery

Culture/period Roman world

Materials pottery

Technique moulding

Mint

Production date 100 / 300

Museum Museu Arqueològic Comarcal de Banyoles

Current location

Archaeological site Vilauba

Township Camós

Dimensions 137 x 100 mm

Description

Small portable domestic altar (arula) made in North Africa. It consists of a central body with a square cross-section, slightly thinner in the intermediate part, where two lamps are attached on the sides. The focus, where the ritual cremation of incense was performed, is located at the top of the object, which finishes with a denticulate crown. Among the decorative elements that are preserved, an embossed figurative scene represents a chariot pulled by lions with characters in the background, one of which could be the Phrygian goddess Cybele (Magna Mater or great mother for the Romans). Her worship is often related to the fertility of the Earth.

Omeka ID 3575