Altar with pedum and caduceus from Thessalonike

TNMM 2550 ↔ CIMRM 2345

A marble altar (H. 1.02 Br. 0.82 D. 0.37), found at Thessalonike and preserved in the Museum at Salonike, has on its front an inscription and on its sides a representation of a pedum (l) and of a caduceus (r).

Ch. Avezou and Ch. Picard in BCH 1913, 97 No. 7, cf. Ch. Picard in Rev. Phil., 1927, 325 were of the opinion that the altar belonged to the Mithras-cult, because a πακτὴρ σπηλλέου is mentioned. A. J. Reinach in Rev. ép. 1914, 109 and L. Robert in Mél. Bidez II 795ff with Pls. VI–VII, cf. Cumont in AJA 1933, 259 n. 2 rightly ascribe the altar to the cult of Cybele. The term speleum is not limited to Mithraic sanctuaries and the latter explanation becomes the more likely by the mention of a woman with the function of galaktephoros. She also had during thirty years the function of a histaphore. Both caduceus and pedum were attributes of Attis.