Shrine to Jupiter Dolichenus

Very interesting find at Vindolanda of a large shrine to Jupiter Dolichenus with a Latin inscription; quotes from Andrew Birley have appeared in a number of newspapers:

What should have been part of the rampart mound near to the north gate of the fort has turned out to be an amazing religious shrine …There is a substantial and exceptionally well preserved altar dedicated by a prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls to an important eastern god, Jupiter of Doliche. Major altars like this are very rare finds and to discover such a shrine inside the fort is highly unusual … The shrine also has evidence of animal sacrifice and possible religious feasting … It all adds to the excitement of the excavations and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most excavators.

The inscription translates:

To Jupiter Best and Greatest of Doliche, Sulpicius Pudens, prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls, fulfilled his vow gladly and deservedly.

Adrian Murdoch has a transcription of the Latin in his coverage of this find …

Patricia Birley noted:

Perhaps what the prefect had asked for had come to pass and he fulfilled his vow by paying out for this expensive stone … It would have cost him a bob or two.

Interestingly, Dr Birley notes that the Sulpicius Pudens is surely the same character who erected another altar which was later reused in a wall at Staward Pele sixty or so years ago (which a certain E. Birley wrote about in “A Roman altar from Staward Pele,” Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol28 p132-6 and 139-40.

Jupiter Dolichenus was really popular — especially among the military — during and after the principate of Septimius Severus …

UPDATE (09/23/09) — see now Adrian Murdoch’s followup post on the previous inscription ascribed to Suplicius  Pudens: New inscription at Vindolanda UPDATED

• Amazing altar unearthed at Vindolanda Roman fort (Journal)
• Shrine to Jupiter discovered at site (Hexham Courant)
• Religious shrine to Roman god uncovered at Hadrian’s Wall fort in England (ANI via Taragana)
• Ancient shrine found at Hadrian’s Wall fort (News and Star)
• Altar to Mysterious Deity Found at Roman Fort(Discovery)
• Mysterious ancient altar found in Roman fort (MSNBC)