ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

The votive altar found at the cliff-side sanctuary dates to the second century BCE;a pair of brothers, Marcus and Publius Vertuleius, dedicated it to Hercules in thanks forsaving their father from economic ruin. 163The dedication stipulates apollouctum, asacred banquet, which probably took place in the forum, since there was little room for alavish feast at the cliff-side shrine. 164If Temple B was indeed dedicated to Hercules, thenthe banquet may have taken place in the courtyard of that structure. The purpose of theinscription further strengthens my conclusion that the Hercules cult at Sora had, at least inpart, an economic valence.A further tie existed between the city's temples and the sanctuary on Monte SanCasto, as seen by the terracotta antefixes depicting Potnia Theron in both locations. Thevotive deposit at Monte San Casto also contained 9 other antefixes, a warrior's head withhelmet, several partial statues or heads of women, a foot with sandal, a hand, a boar, anda seventh-sixth century BCE aryballos. 165The items date from as early as the fourthcentury BCE, with the exception of the aryballos, which may have been dedicated as anantique. 166Some of these elements show interesting ties to votives from the cults of othermid-Republican colonies in the region. The warrior's head with helmet is a very rare typeof votive, but one was found in a deposit outside of Minturnae at the sanctuary of MaricaCIL X 5708: MP Vertuleieis/ Cf/ quod re sua difeidens/ asper/ qfleictaparens timens/ heic vovit votohoc/solut/ (de)cuma facta/poloucta leibereis lube(n)tes dorm danunt/ Hercolei Maxume/ mereto semol te/or ant se voti crebro/condemnes. The inscription is in Saturnian meter. Mommsen {ad loc.) mistakenlythought this altar was found inside the city rather than at the cliff-side sanctuary. Cf. Tanzilli (2006), p. 15n. 2, who follows Lommatzsch (1918), p. 630.164 Tanzilli (2006), p. 15 n. 2.165 The objects from the votive deposit, excavated in 1951, passed into private collections. Rizzello (1980,pp. 84-88) was able to ascertain that the items mentioned here were found in the deposit. The boar has beenmistaken for a calf in the original publication: A. Lauri (1953), p.6.166 Mezzazzappa (2003), p. 112.187