Cantharus to Deo Invicto of Trier

This cantharus was discovered in 1917 during archaeological excavations undertaken at the riverbank near St. Matthias's Abbey, in the southern sector of Augusta Treverorum, in the province of Gallia Belgica. Formed with two handles and a narrow foot, this drinking vessel features a painted decor of white barbotine which forms four horizontal bands of alternating dots and arrows. On the large neck runs a painted dedication addressed to the invincible god (Deo invicto), Mithras. The cantharus is reminiscent of the crater that often appears in tauroctony scenes collecting the blood from the

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