© Museu Arqueològic Comarcal de Banyoles
Omeka ID 3575
Vil·la romana de Vilauba
Roman world

domestic arula of Cybele

MACB 835-090

Object type
arula
Production date
100 / 300
Fabric
African production pottery
Museum
Museu Arqueològic Comarcal de Banyoles
Culture
Roman world
Discovery location
Vil·la romana de Vilauba
Materials
pottery
Township
Camós
Technique
moulding
Where is it?
-
Dimensions
137 x 100 mm
Description
Small portable domestic altar (arula) made in North Africa. It consists of a central body with a square cross-section, slightly thinner in the intermediate part, where two lamps are attached on the sides. The focus, where the ritual cremation of incense was performed, is located at the top of the object, which finishes with a denticulate crown. Among the decorative elements that are preserved, an embossed figurative scene represents a chariot pulled by lions with characters in the background, one of which could be the Phrygian goddess Cybele (Magna Mater or great mother for the Romans). Her worship is often related to the fertility of the Earth.