Inscription
Written in Latin with some Gaulish language features, the inscription mingles Roman deities with gods that are distinctly Gallic. The pillar is dated by a dedication to Tiberius Caesar Augustus, that is, Tiberius, who became emperor in 14 AD. It was set up publicly (publice posierunt) by the guild of sailors of Lutetia, from the civitas of the Parisii (nautae Parisiaci). These sailors would have been merchants who travelled along the Seine.
The main dedication is to Jupiter, in the form of Iovis Optimus Maximus ("Jove Best and Greatest"). The names of the emperor and the supreme deity appear in the dative case as the recipients of the dedication. The remaining theonyms are nominative legends that accompany individual depictions of the gods. These are (in the order they appear below) Jove, Tarvos Trigaranos (the Bull with three Cranes), Volcanus (Vulcan), Esus, Cernunnos, Castor, Smertrios, and Fortuna.
The dedication (CIL 13, 3026; RIG L2-1) is as follows:
- Tib(erio) Caesare /
- Aug(usto) Ioui Optum /
- Maxsumo /
- nautae Parisiaci /
- publice posierunt //
- Eurises // Senan Uelo //
- Iouis // Taruos Trigaranus //
- Volcanus // Esus //
- ernunnos // Castor // //
- Smer //
- Fort // TVS // D
| Side 1 | Side 2 | Side 3 | Side 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ernunnos | Smer | Castor | |
| Iouis | Esus | Taruos Trigaranus | Volcanus |
| Tib(erio) Caesare Aug(usto) Iovi Optum Maxsumo nautae Parisiaci publice posierunt | Eurises | Senan Uelo | |
| Fort | V |
The pillar provides the only undisputed instance of the divine name Cernunnos. The Gaulish theonyms are presented as deity names in their own right, and not as epithets for Roman gods (by contrast, see the many Celtic gods syncretized with Mars). Other figures appear on the pillar without legible inscriptions, including the Roman gods Mars and Mercury, who can be identified by their conventional iconography, and other unidentified figures, mainly female.
Read more about this topic: Pillar Of The Boatmen
Famous quotes containing the word inscription:
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—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“The oft-repeated Roman story is written in still legible characters in every quarter of the Old World, and but today, perchance, a new coin is dug up whose inscription repeats and confirms their fame. Some “Judæa Capta,” with a woman mourning under a palm tree, with silent argument and demonstration confirms the pages of history.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
““I love you” is the inscription on Pandora’s box.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)