Roman stone from Donnersbach
The so-called Römerstein von Donnersbach is a Roman votive inscription to the nymphs , which was discovered in March 1947 by Berta Runge, headmistress at the elementary school Donnersbach, as part of the brick floor in Donnersbach Castle ( Styria ). Today it is kept in the Landesmuseum Joanneum in Graz, a cast is in the courtyard of Donnersbach Castle.
Text and translation
- NIMPIS G
- SAC G ANNIVS IV
- VENALIS VSLM
Nimp (h) is (!) G (eminis) / sac (rum) G (aius) Annius Iu / venalis v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito)
Dedicated to the two (literally: double) nymphs. Gaius Annius Iuvenalis gladly redeemed his vows on merit.
classification
The following assessments of the Latin text were made by Dr. Josef Roeger, the son of the violin virtuoso Marie Soldat-Roeger .
Abbreviation and separation points are the usual triangular points and an ivy leaf.
The shape of the letters, especially the "S" with the vertical hasta and the "M", points to the age from Commodus to Caracalla , which is why the votive stone is likely to date from around the end of the 2nd or the beginning of the 3rd century AD.
The dative of the plural "NIMPIS" in the first line is one of the vulgar Latin forms, which incidentally also occurs on the inscriptions of Traum and Spalato, furthermore the "G" in line 2 stands as an abbreviation for GAIUS (instead of the well-known "C") . This variant is often encountered in provincial written monuments from the 2nd century AD onwards. The family name "ANNIUS" (line 2) of the dedicant belongs to a common Latin, plebeian sex in Rome, in which the first name GAIUS was not uncommon.
Not far from where the votive tablet was found, in Murau , the name G. ANNIUS LUCIUS was found on an inscription and the name G. ANNIUS RUFINUS in Judenburg . In contrast, the name G. ANNIUS IUVENALIS does not appear anywhere else up to now.
The “G” (line 1) could be interpreted as “GEMINIS”, so that it could be about two spring springs and their nymphs . This interpretation is supported by an inscription from Picenum with the consecration formula “NYMPHIS GEMINIS SACRUM” and especially by the explanations given by M. Ihm and J. Klein, but there are also other possibilities.
It is not surprising that nymphs, to whom Gaius Iuvenalis, here most likely after a successful cure, dedicated this inscription as numina (protective goddesses) of the source and without a doubt as healing goddesses, is not surprising. Such inscriptions were also found in Ljubljana , Schwefeltherme Varaždin Toplice , Weitschach near Oberpettau , Römerbad near Tüffer , Töltschach (Carinthia), Petronell , Obermeidling near Vienna , Lorch (Upper Austria) and Titmoning on the Salzach. The names of the nymphs appear there either alone or with Neptunus and Iuppiter depulsar, or they have the surnames “ Augustus ”, “Solutares” or “Salutares Augustus”.
As the votive inscription shows, there must have been medicinal springs in Donnersbach as early as Roman times. A bath existed in Donnersbach until the end of the 18th century, see The former Bad Donnersbach .
literature
- Josef Roeger: in Blätter für Heimatkunde BlHK 23, 1949, 25
- Ekkehard Weber: The Roman Age Inscriptions of Styria , Graz 1969, 295 No. 240
- Hans Czimeg: History of Donnersbach , Donnersbach, self-published by the municipality of Donnersbach 1980
- Berta Runge: The Römerstein from Donnersbach Castle , Ed. Erik Runge, self-published 2007