Theos Megas Derzelas, an Enigmatic Deity of Odessos: Cult and Iconographic Representations. A Numismatic and Epigraphic Study
Theos Megas Derzelas, an Enigmatic Deity of Odessos: Cult and Iconographic Representations. A Numismatic and Epigraphic Study

Summary/Abstract: The study here addresses the cult and iconography of Theos Megas Derzelas from Odessos based on Hellenistic and Roman date numismatic documents as well as Roman date inscriptions. Theos Megas is a Thracian origin god, filtered by the Greeks and transferred to the Roman world. Theos Megas might be a local chthonian deity, adopted by the Greek colonists as early as their arrival on the Black Sea shores. During the Hellenistic period, Theos Megas received the title of “Great God” and took up iconographical features of Greek chthonian deities. The god’s iconographic representations (standing, reclined or riding, holding the patera and cornucopia), established since the second half of the 2nd century BC, endured until the Roman period, when Theos Megas was assimilated with Derzelas, another Thracian deity from north-eastern Bulgaria. Theos Megas’s cult development, whose existence may be assumed as of the Hellenistic period, is better outlined particularly during the rule of emperor Gordian III (238-244).

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