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Implying and
expressing motives
for dedicating in
Greek and Roman
votive inscriptionsThe Helsinki Research on the Ancient World
10.12.2018
Museo lapidario
Maffeiano, Verona.
An altar dedicated
to Juppiter Optimus
Maximus 2nd century
CE. Photo: L. Aho
Votive inscriptions?
• A person could make a promise or a vow to a god to give a gift if
the god showed him favour or helped him. This vow could be
made ex tempore in the face of adversities or it could’ve been
planned ahead
• Widely practised and an important part of Greco-Roman religion
• Dedications and votive offerings were put up in sanctuaries
• Offering could be almost anything
• Inscriptions could accompany a votive offering or a dedication
• The inscription gave information about the dedication or votive
offering: who, what, to whom, when, and why.
The problems with my research material:
• (Votive)inscriptions are often short, schematic, and
formulaic for the simple reason of their cost and the space
available for the text
• The circumstances in which votive inscriptions were
manufactured and compiled are unclear -> Who
formulated the text and designed the inscription? Ready-
made inscriptions? Model texts?
How to separate an impersonal formula from what
the dedicator actually wanted to say about
his/her specific circumstances?
The bottomline• Terms indicating that a votive promise was made
and fulfilled: votum solvere/reddere, vovere,
gratiam agere, ex voto, debitum, merito, eukhē,
kharistērion, aparkhē, dekatē, or euxamenos/-ē.
• Different combinations of words votum, solvere,
merito, libens, and/or animo can be found all over the Greco-Roman world, often abbreviated to a
single letter.
• The abbreviation VSLM can be found all over the
Roman empire, and it is by far the most popular
one. In Gallia, Germania, Noricum, and Pannonia
VSLLM is dominant, but almost non-existent in the
southern parts of the empire. VSLA again is
dominant in Hispania and North Africa, and much more infrequent in other parts of the empire.
CIL V, 3228
Museo Archeologico al
Teatro Romano, Verona.
C(aius) Vindius C(ai)
l(ibertus) / Priscus /
Herculi / v(otum) s(olvit)
l(ibens) m(erito). Photo: L.
Aho
CIL VI, 30805, Museo
nazionale romano
Terme di Diocleziano,
Rome, 141CE.
Silvano Au(gusto) /
sacrum / C(aius) Iulius /
Castrensis / ex voto.
Photo: L. Aho.
The God
• Dedications were made to such personifications as Bonus Eventus, Bona
Valetudo, Fortuna Redux, and Tutela.
CIL VI, 18, Rome.
Domino Aesculapio / et Hygiae ex permissu / eorum
negotiationis / fabariae gratias / agentes numini / et
aratis eorum / T(itus) Iulius Genesiacus et Caecilia /
Balbilla ceriolaria duo Satu/ri et Antiotes / libentes
donum / dederunt
Photo: http://manfredclauss.de
Epithets
• Sometimes god’s epithet can indicate the motive for a dedications as in
Fortuna Redux which was popular among the soldiers at the limes area.
There were also epithets that were used with different deities such as
conservator, salutaris, salutifer, polioukhos ja epēkoōs.
SEG 50:1086, Grosvenor Museum, Chester (Deva Victrix).
Πανυπείροχα/ς ἀνθρώπων / σωτῆρας ἐν ἀθα/νάτοισιν
❦ / Ἀσκληπιὸν ἠ/πιοχεῖρα (?) Ὑγεί/ην
Πανάκει/αν ❦ εἰητρὸς / [Ἀ]ντί[ο]χος(?) / [— — — —]
Photo: L. Aho
Giving the reason
• Expressis verbis the reason was usually given as concisely as possible.
• Prepositions like ex/ek, kata, hyper, ob, and pro were extremely popular.
On the other hand. post-/prepositions causa, propter, and gratia, or eneka,
kharin, and dia were rarely used.
• Ex/ek and kata were used when a divine theophany, a command, or a
dream was in question, as in ex visu, ex responso, ex monitu, ex iussu, and
ek khrēsmou, kat’onar, kat’epitagēn, kata prostagma.
• Pro, ob, and hyper were used when health or protection was in question as
in pro salute, pro incolumnitate, ob reditum, ob valetudinem, and hyper
hygieias. In addition in Greek participle clauses were often used as insōtheis/sōtheisa ek nosou.
• Also ablative and genitive absolute are sometimes used.
RIB 3, 3149, Grosvenor Museum,
Chester (Deva Victrix, amphitheatre).
Deae Nemesi / Sext(ius) Marci/anus
|(centurio) ex visu
Photo: L. Aho.
AE 1941, 78, Church of S. Prisca, Rome.
Deo Soli Invicto Mithr(a)e / quod saepe Numini eius /
ex audito gratias e[t vota]
Photo: L. Aho.
• In addition the reason for a dedication could be
expressed as a picture. The best know example of this
being the so called anatomical votives.
• The general rule seems to be that when there’s a
pictorial representation of the reason, it is not mentioned (again) in an inscription (if there is one).
Exception to the rule
CIL III, 7266 Epidauros.
Cutius has auris Gallus
tibi voverat olim /
Phoebigena et posuit
sanus ab auriculis
Photo: B. Forsén,
Griechische
Gliederweihungen
Text and picture
Anatomical votives,
National Archaeological
Museum, Athens.
Photo: L. Aho.
AE 1950, 51 Musei Capitolini,
Rome.
C(a)elesti trium/[f]ali Iovinus /
[v]otum suum / [r]estituit
Photo: L. Aho
Anatomical votives, Museo
Nazionale Etrusco di Villa
Giulia, Rome.
Photo: L. Aho
Epigr. tou Oropou 344
National Archaeological
Museum, Athens. Ἀρχῖνος Ἀμφιαράωι
ἀνέθηκεν
Photo: L. Aho.
The most common reasons and motives
• They can be roughly divided into two categories:
1. Crises like accidents and illness
2. General wishes of well-being, safety, and success
• The most common reason given is some sort of
theophany or communication with a god.
These theophanies are often connected with illness and
incubation, or a surprising accident or crisis where god’s
help or advice was needed. But they could also be
linked to e.g. getting back stolen or lost items.
Thank you!