The Cult of the Thracian Rider in Capidava: New Evidence and Iconographic Observations
The Cult of the Thracian Rider in Capidava: New Evidence and Iconographic Observations
Author(s): Mihai DucaSubject(s): History, Archaeology, Ancient World, History of Religion
Published by: MUZEUL NAȚIONAL DE ISTORIE A ROMÂNIEI
Keywords: Capidava; Thracian Rider; bas-relief; votive plaque; Roman provincial art;
Summary/Abstract: The present paper discusses a marble fragment from a votive plaque discovered during the 2015 archaeological campaign at Capidava. The bas-relief preserves the lower back part of a horse, the rider’s legs, and a fully rendered dog. These surviving elements unmistakably indicate the representation of the Thracian Rider, a widespread deity venerated in the Lower Danube region during the 2nd–3rd centuries AD. The fragment was unearthed in a corridor situated between the walls of two buildings along curtain B, in the north-western sector of the fortification. Although the archaeological context had been disturbed since antiquity, the typological and stylistic characteristics of the relief securely date it to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD.
Journal: Cercetări Arheologice
- Issue Year: XXXII/2025
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 607-620
- Page Count: 14
- Language: English
