Dativius-Victor arch

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Copy of the Dativius-Victor-Bogen on Ernst-Ludwig-Platz

The Dativius Victor Arch in Mainz is one of the most important rebuilt Roman monuments in Germany. The building dates from the middle of the 3rd century and was once the central passage of a portico (columned hall) of a public building in Mogontiacum .

The donor's inscription, according to which the sons of the late decurio (councilor) Dativius Victor had the arch and a portico built in his legacy in honor of the imperial family and the god Jupiter , is completely preserved. The monument is now called Dativius Victor Arch after the founder. Along with the Augsburg victory altar, it is one of the most important stone monuments from the time of the Limes falls during the imperial crisis of the 3rd century .

The arch was reconstructed between 1978 and 1980/81. It is exhibited in the stone hall of the Landesmuseum Mainz . A copy made of casts was already set up in 1962 on the occasion of the Mainz 2000th anniversary celebration on a scale of 1: 1 on Ernst-Ludwig-Platz near the Roman-Germanic Central Museum . However, some parts are freely designed there.

Find history

Around 1900, parts of the medieval city ​​wall on the Kästrich in Mainz , which rested on the foundations of the late ancient Roman city fortifications, were torn down. These works have been in the years 1898-1911 between the streets "Am Gautor", "Bastion Martin" and "Martin Street" found several architectural elements of the Dativius-Victor-arm, as spoils had been built into the city walls. First, in November 1898, workers noticed ornate blocks. Only these were subsequently recovered. Undecorated components were cleared away. Karl Körber published these finds as parts of three monuments. Further components were found by 1903, so that Heinrich Wallau saw a connection in these for the first time and was able to present a first reconstruction of the arch in 1906 . In addition to the decoration, he and later editors served as orientation for a perfect fit together with the still existing movement marks and bracket holes on the stones.

description

Simplified redrawing (front) with dimensions

The reconstructed monument is 6.50 meters high, 4.55 meters wide and 0.70 meters deep. The inner diameter is 2.40 meters and the height under the top of the barrel is 3.90 meters. The arched pillars have different widths; the left is 1.03 meters and the right 1.10 meters wide. The individual blocks were worked on anathyrosis and executed without mortar.

In terms of its form and function, the building corresponds to an arch of honor . Strictly speaking, however, the arch does not belong in this category, as it was not originally free-standing, but was instead in an architectural combination with another building, namely a portico. Nevertheless, it was perceived as such in antiquity, especially since the inscription also describes the monument as arcus . This term became common for triumphal arches or arches of honor during the Roman Empire .

The entire arch originally consisted of around 75 individual elements. The 43 blocks found so far are made of sandstone and mainly come from the front of the arch. The back has only been partially preserved and was probably not or only sparsely decorated. This is where the Dativius-Victor arch differs from other honor arches. The reason for the unadorned design of the back can be seen in the fact that the portico was once attached there.

Signs of the zodiac: Scorpio, Sagittarius (?)

The outer sides of the arched pillars are decorated with grapevine reliefs that extend from the base of the pillars to below the attic . On the inside of the arched pillars there are vine tendril pilasters that end in Corinthian capitals below the archivolt . On the basis of the preserved back of a block from the arched pillar, it could be proven that the vine tendril motif also adorned the back of the pillar. The reconstruction shows that, apart from a small difference in size, both sides were designed symmetrically and at least partially painted.

The front side of the Archivolte is a partially preserved zodiac ( zodiac signs decorated). The keystone of the arch protrudes a few centimeters from the relief surface and shows Jupiter with his wife Juno . Jupiter holds a scepter in his right arm and a bundle of lightning (?) In his left hand resting in his lap. The figure's head was damaged. The right foot rests on a globe . Iuno is enthroned to the right of Jupiter. She is dressed in a chiton and a cloak and holds a torch in her left hand. The top pair of gods of the Roman pantheon is surrounded by four other, indefinable, deities.

Priest, possibly the founder himself

In the area above the archivolt various sacrificial scenes with two flanking seasons are shown. The image field, which is not further divided, is dominated by a priest wrapped in a toga . In this figure Dativius Victor can be seen exercising his sacred office. In addition to the office of decurio, he also held a priesthood as part of the imperial cult in Mogontiacum, so that here, too, a connection to the person depicted can be assumed. The depiction of a local official exercising a priesthood makes the Dativius-Victor arch unique in the Germanic provinces.

Apart from the individually produced sacrificial scenes, the ancient craftsmen used forms in the design of the other ornaments and figures that can also be found on sarcophagi and Mithras reliefs of this time. Overall, these are evidence of provincial quality.

Above the arch element there is a parapet separated from the arch by a cornice. Architectural elements above the attic have not yet been found, so that one can only speculate about the appearance of this area.

inscription

On the front of the attic zone there is a donor inscription imitating a so-called tabula ansata , which is flanked by two erotes . The erotes wear the pelt-shaped approaches of the ansae . The inscription extends over all four blocks of the attic, which is 3.88 m long and 0.74 m high.

Inscription and program of figures
inscription translation
In h (onorem) d (omus) d (ivinae) I (ovi) O (ptimo) M (aximo) Conservatori arcum et porticus / quos Dativius Victor dec (urio) civit (atis) Taun (ensium) sacerdotalis Mo / gontiacensibus [ p] romisit Victorii Ursus frum (entarius) et Lupus / filii et heredes consummaverunt "In honor of the divine imperial house, the Iuppiter Optimus Maximus Conservator the arch of honor and the portico, which Dativius Victor, decurio (councilor) of the Civitas (regional authority) of the Taunens ( Nida ) and former provincial priest, had promised the citizens of Mogontiacum, his sons and Heirs, Victorius Ursus, frumentarius (police officer) and Victorius Lupus completed. "

Three of the four blocks of the inscription tablet were found in 1898, published by Karl Körber and included in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum . The fourth block was not added until 1911 and received an addendum.

Dating and ancient site

Installation context of the arch of honor

Since the building was no longer in situ when it was found, dating is only possible indirectly. From the art-historical classification of the relief scenes on the front of the arch, the Dativius-Victor arch is likely to have originated in the second quarter of the 3rd century AD. From an epigraphic point of view, a classification in this period can be assumed. The formula "IN HDD" for "in H (onorem) D (omus) D (ivinae)" , in English: "the divine imperial house", came up in the middle of the 2nd century and remained a common term until late antiquity .

Jupiter and Juno

Another clue is hidden in the formula IOM conservatori . Iuppiter Optimus Maximus was worshiped in the Upper Germanic area together with his wife Juno, especially in the cult of Iupiter Dolichenus . The nickname Conservator - “Preserver of the Empire” - for the father of the gods appears in Mainz only on three other inscriptions. Two of these inscriptions date to the first half of the third century, i.e. in the same time frame as suggested for the Dativius-Victor arch: firstly on a stone of the four gods, which was also found around 1900 near the Gautore, and its inscription in the year Can be dated 242 AD. On the other hand, the inscription CIL 13, 6708 from the reign of Severus Alexander 222 AD. The use of the surname Conservator in the first half of the 3rd century suggests that Jupiter in the form of the Imperial Guard was especially at a time of acute threat Reich border was invoked by plundering Alemanni . However, a third inscription found in the Mainzer Alicestrasse, which also shows this agnoma , dates back to Flavian times. A sanctuary is also known, which was built in 69 AD by Domitian in honor of the IOM Conservatori . In addition, there are Domitian coins with this agnom. It is therefore not possible to date the inscription using the IOM Conservatori formula to the beginning of the 3rd century, but it tends to refer to this time frame.

All fragments of the arch were recovered from the foundations of the Roman city wall between the Gautor and Martinstrasse together with demolition stones from the Mainz legion camp . The legionary camp was abandoned and demolished in the middle of the 4th century when the 22nd Legion stationed here in the Balkans was destroyed. This means that the Dativius-Victor arch was also demolished in the middle of the 4th century at the latest.

The portico mentioned in the inscription was probably located near the Mainz legion camp. It is possible that the foundations of a Roman building found in 1897 on Fichteplatz, not far from where it was found, were the ancient location of the arch and the associated portico.

Historical context

In terms of content, it is noticeable that the decurio of a foreign community, namely the civitas Taunensium (Frankfurt-Heddernheim- Nida ) on the right bank of the Rhine , had its citizens erected a public building in Mogontiacum, an unusual process since a councilor was primarily obliged to his own civitas . This can possibly be explained with the flight of the official and his family from the areas on the right bank of the Rhine that were evacuated due to the threat posed by the Alemanni . However, other explanations are also possible; so the decurio , who at the same time also functioned as the priest of the imperial cult , could consciously and for reasons of prestige have chosen the provincial capital Mogontiacum as the location of the monument (see below).

There has been a clear decline in population in the threatened territories since the Alemanni raids from 233 AD. After that, numerous vici were not rebuilt or only to a smaller extent. Coin treasures in the Limes region, for example from the forts in Ober-Florstadt and Seligenstadt and from Nida-Heddernheim, bear witness to a troubled time. As an indication of the will of the population to assert themselves, the barriers of main civitas towns such as Nida, Dieburg or Ladenburg are to be interpreted. From the Altenstadt fort there is an inscription by a collegium iuventutis , which is now lost , possibly a local militia, which is interpreted as a measure taken by the provincial residents themselves.

The areas on the right bank of the Rhine 259/260 ( Limesfall ) had to be finally given up . The family of Dativius Victor could have found acceptance in the still safe Mogontiacum and donated a public building out of gratitude. This corresponds to the consecration of the inscription to the preserving Iupiter (Iupiter Conservator) , which indicates a happy outcome of the dangerous situation. The sons of Dativius Victor have finally redeemed the vow given to him by completing the building.

In addition to the Dativius-Victor arch, there is another stone monument that could prove such a retreat of a councilor of the civitas Taunensium to Mainz. The Nidenser duumvir Licinius Tugnatius Publius had a Jupiter column erected on his property in Mainz-Kastel in the same year as the Altenstadt inscription (242 AD) (in suo ut haberet restituit) . This inscription is also dedicated to the Iupiter Conservator . But there are also known inscriptions from officials of the civitas , which initially remained in Heddernheim and date to the same time.

However, there is no verifiable connection between the foundation of the arch, the adjoining portico and a relocation of the family of Dativius Victor. As part of his office as a priest of the imperial cult in Mogontiacum, his presence there was required on numerous holidays. Dativius Victor is also likely to have frequently visited the provincial capital because of his official duties. A foundation could thus also have been established in the course of these obligations.

literature

See also

Web links

Commons : Dativius-Victor-Bogen (Mainz)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Frenz 1981, pp. 220-225.
  2. ^ Wallau 1906.
  3. ↑ Frenz 1981, p. 241 ff.
  4. ↑ after Frenz 1981, p. 237 Fig. 4.
  5. ↑ Bauchhenß 1984, p. 79.
  6. ^ Form IIa according to Heinz Kähler , RE VII A p. 484 Fig. 5.
  7. ↑ Christoph Höcker : Triumphal and Honor Arch. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 12/1, Metzler, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-476-01482-7 , Sp. 838 ( excerpt online ).
  8. ↑ Frenz 1981, p. 220.
  9. ↑ It is possible that further fragments are still undetected in the magazine of the Mainz State Museum. At least six undecorated structural elements were not recovered during the demolition work on the city wall at the end of the 19th century. See Frenz (1981).
  10. ^ Jürgen Oldenstein :  Mogontiacum. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 20, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2001, ISBN 3-11-017164-3 , p. 151.
  11. ^ Karl-Viktor Decker, Wolfgang Selzer: Mainz from the time of Augustus to the end of Roman rule. In: Hildegard Temporini , Wolfgang Haase (Hrsg.): Rise and decline of the Roman world : History and culture of Rome in the mirror of recent research. Pp. 457-559, here: p. 508.
  12. ^ Karl Körber, in: Correspondence sheet of the West German journal for history and art 17, 1898, Sp. 202-207 ( online ).
  13. ↑ CIL 13, 6705 .
  14. ↑ CIL 13, 11810 . From this fact it can be explained that on some Internet pages ( [1] ) alternative interpretations of the line endings appear. However, these can be disregarded.
  15. ↑ a b Bauchhenß 1984, p. 6.
  16. ↑ CSIR Germany II, 3, No. 44.
  17. ↑ Bauchhenß (1984) p. 89.
  18. ↑ CIL 13, 6706
  19. ↑ Frenz 1981, p. 239.
  20. ↑ Jürgen Oldenstein, p. 151; Ingeborg Huld-Zetsche: Nida - a Roman city in Frankfurt am Main (= writings of the Limes Museum Aalen. 48). Stuttgart 1994, p. 62.
  21. ↑ Helmut Schubert: The denar treasure from Ober-Florstadt. A Roman coin treasure from the cohort fort on the eastern Wetteraulimes. Wiesbaden 1994 (Archaeological Monuments in Hesse 118).
  22. ^ Helmut Schubert: The coins found in the Roman period in Germany (FMRD) Dept. V: Hessen. Vol. 2.1: Darmstadt. Mainz 1989, ISBN 3-7861-1292-4 , pp. 389-403.
  23. ^ Helmut Schubert: The coins found in the Roman period in Germany (FMRD) Dept. V: Hessen. Vol. 2.2: Darmstadt: Frankfurt am Main. Mainz 1989, ISBN 3-7861-1552-4 , p. 298 f.
  24. ↑ For the inscription see CIL 13, 7424 ; Dietwulf Baatz in: The Romans in Hesse. P. 215; Peter Knieriem in: Egon Schallmayer (ed.): The Augsburg victory altar - testimony to a troubled time. Saalburg Museum Bad Homburg vd H. 1995 p. 39 (Saalburg-Schriften 2).
  25. ^ Ingeborg Huld-Zetsche : Nida - a Roman city in Frankfurt am Main. ( Writings of the Limes Museum Aalen 48) Stuttgart 1994, p. 61; CIL 13, 7265 .
  26. ↑ CIL 13, 7370 or CIL 13, 7352 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 0 ′ 21.31 ″  N , 8 ° 16 ′ 9.34 ″  E

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on December 22, 2009 in this version .