The Jupiter-Dolichenus cult in Carnuntum - an encounter between Orient and Occident
By Nisa Iduna Kirchengast - Editors: Daniel Kunc, Thomas Mauerhofer
Today, as in ancient times, religion is a cultural vehicle that provides believers with a wealth of customs and rules of conduct in addition to the actual ritual. It was precisely these conventions that helped the people of antiquity to find their way away from their original homeland, a function that religion still performs for many people today.
In the Roman Empire, the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus was an impressive example of the fusion of oriental and Roman beliefs. This mystery cult had its origins in Doliche (today Dülük in Turkey) in the Roman province of Syria, where the Semitic weather god Hadad was worshipped. When the Romans took over the kingdom of Commagene in 30 BC, Hadad was equated with the Roman god Jupiter, from which the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus developed. The god was depicted as a powerful figure - a bearded god standing on a bull, armed with bundles of lightning and a double axe, symbols of his dominion over the sky and weather.
Applique of Jupiter Dolichenus on a bull - © Landessammlungen NÖ, Archäologischer Park Carnuntum (Photo: N.Gail)
The figure of Jupiter Dolichenus, carved in bas-relief, stands on a bull trotting to the left. Over a long-sleeved, short undergarment, he wears the general's costume with muscle armor and body belt. On his bearded, curly head sits the Phrygian cap. In his lowered left hand he holds the bundle of lightning, in his raised right hand the remains of the double axe, which is no longer preserved, can still be seen. The figure was originally placed in the center of a triangular metal plaque.
The Roman military in particular played a central role in the spread of this cult. Soldiers brought the belief in Jupiter Dolichenus to the military border areas, such as the Danube and the Rhine, and as far as Britain and North Africa. The military character of the cult can also be seen in the depiction of the god in the armor of a Roman general with armor and cloak. It is striking that this mystery cult, unlike the cult of Mithras, also included women. They were allowed to practice the cult as followers of Iuno Regina, the wife of Jupiter.
An important center of the Jupiter-Dolichenus cult in the Roman Empire was Carnuntum, a strategic outpost on the Danube border and the new home for many soldiers from all provinces of the empire. In 1891, a temple and an associated clubhouse were discovered on the so-called Pfaffenbrunnwiese in Petronell, where the members of the cult met. This site is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the Jupiter Dolichenus cult. The sanctuary, which was part of a larger cult area surrounded by a wall, contained impressive relics, including a marble statue of the god and numerous votive offerings.
Statue of Jupiter Dolichenus, found at Pfaffenbrunnwiese - © Lower Austrian State Collections, Carnuntum Archaeological Park (Photo: N.Gail)
Altar-shaped base for Dolichenus statue - © Lower Austrian State Collections, Carnuntum Archaeological Park (Photo: N.Gail)
In Carnuntum, the worship of Jupiter Dolichenus has been documented since the time of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD). An inscription on the Pfaffenberg indicates that there was a thriving cult community here early on, which even had its own youth league (iuventus colens Iovem Dolichenum):
Pro sal(ute) Imp(eratoris) C/aes(aris) Tra(iani) Hadri(ani) Aug(usti) / p(atris) p(atriae) porta(m) et muru(m) per / pedes lon(gum) C altu(m) p(edes) VII / iuvent(us) colens Iove(m) Doli/chen(um) inpe(n)sa sua fec(it)
“For the salvation of the emperor Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, father of the fatherland, the youth league of the Jupiter Dolichenus cult (of Carnuntum) had the entrance gate and the wall 100 feet long and 7 feet high built with their own funds.” (AE 1936, 132)
This community, consisting of a priesthood and cult personnel, regularly held religious ceremonies and communal cult meals to honor the god. The destruction of Doliche by the Persians in 253 AD marked the beginning of the cult's decline. Nevertheless, the cult of Jupiter Doliche remains a symbol of the religious and cultural diversity that characterized the Roman Empire and shows how religious traditions were adapted and spread across continents. Carnuntum in particular offers impressive testimony to this cultural fusion and the importance of oriental gods in the western provinces of the Roman Empire.