An ancient Roman solid silver Legionary eagle (Aquila) with Stag statuette

Fine, extremely rare, silver Legionary Eagle with Stag Jupiter and Juno (protective and aiding in victory). Called Jupiter Dolichenus, a Roman military mystery cult, originating in SouthEastern Turkey and spreading quickly West into the Roman Empire by the Legions.

The motif of the eagle and stag is typically associated with Jupiter Dolichenus, the Roman version of the local god Baal of the city of Doliche, Commagene (present-day Dülük in Turkey). Worship of this deity found a special place among the Roman military. By the 2nd century A.D., the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus had spread from the eastern Mediterranean to Rome and other areas of the Roman Empire, especially those along the garrisoned frontiers. The god, depicted in numerous stone reliefs and statues, was customarily represented wearing Roman military dress and standing on the back of a bull. It is consistent therefore for the eagle, a symbol of Jupiter himself, to replace the image of the god. Although almost all of the examples of the eagle and stag motif are small bronzes without inscriptions, the relationship with Jupiter Dolichenus is confirmed by an inscribed marble sculpture of an eagle on a stag’s head discovered in the sanctuary of the deity on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. An inscription on the statue reveals that it was dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus by a soldier of the Misenum fleet.

Material: solid silver
Weight: 9.03 gram
Date: Roman, 1st – 2nd century AD
Measurement: overall: 34 x 16 mm
Condition: Extremely fine condition

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