Altar from Ain-Zana
TNMM 775 ↔ CIMRM 140
Inscription on an altar, found at Ain-Zana.
lovi optimo / maximo luno/ni reginae Min/ervae sanctae / Soli Mithrae / Herculi Mar/ti Mercurio / genio loci di/is deabusque / omnibus M/arcus Aureli/us Decimus v(ir) p(erfectissimus) p(raeses) / p(rovinciae) N(umidiae) ex principe/regrinorum / votum solvit.
M. Aurelius Decimus was a governor of Numidia in 283-284 A.D.
From the municipium of Dianae comes an altar 82 cm high and 47 cm wide: here is a dedication to a series of deities from the traditional Roman pantheon, such as Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Juno Regina, Minerva, but also ’foreign’ ones like the Iranian god.
It reads: ’IOVI OPTIMO/ MAXIMO IVNO/NI REGINAE MIN/ERVAE SANCTAE/ SOLI MITHRAE/ HERCVLI MAR/TI MERCVRIO/ GENIO LOCI DI/IS DEABVSQVE/ OMNIBVS M/ARCVS AVRELI/VS DECIMVS V P P/ P N EX PRINCIPEPE/REGRINORVM/ VOTVM SOLVIT’.
The dating of this inscription can be placed between 284 and 285 AD, based on the corresponding presence of the dedicator’s name within the list of the Fasti of the province.
CIL VIII 4578
pe/regrinorum / votum solvit.
References
CIL VIII 4578; MMM II No. 529.
- Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef (1956) Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae
- Nicholas Vivan (2022) Il culto mitraico: attestazioni e diffusione nel territorio della Numidia.
