Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition

First Floor Religion
Roman Religion
have enjoyed limited success in Gaul, the mystery cults of Cybele, Attis and Mithra
attracted a great number of followers.
Display case 19
1. Jupiter Amon. Terra cotta oil lamp.
2. Jupiter Amon, recognizable thanks to his ram’s horns. Decorative piece, bronze.
3. Bronze votive hand dedicated to Sabazius (1). The hand shows a pinecone on the
thumb, the bust of Sabazius on the inside of the hand between the index finger and the
middle finger, and a bust of Mercury between the bent ring finger and the little finger.
A twig is draped along the right outer side of the hand and the wrist is decorated with a
small bell and a snake. On the exterior of the hand there is a bust of Cybele between the
thumb and the index finger, a bust of Bacchus between the index finger and the middle
finger and a ram’s head between the ring finger and the little finger. The back of the hand
shows a lizard, a cantharos, a tortoise and a frog. A reclining woman holding a child is
depicted at the lower end of the wrist. 1st – 2nd centuries AD.
4. Ceramic vessel, probably from the cults of Sabazius or Mithra. There is a snake wrapped
around each handle while lizards and tortoises are depicted on the body of the vessel.
Roman Religion
(Display cases 20-21)
The Romans worshipped many gods in public life as well as in private. Their religion
was rather complicated, as it contained the old Roman cults as well as Greek and
Etruscan elements, which are sometimes difficult to tell apart. Besides a multitude
of secondary deities the main gods were Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, the Capitoline
triad. Other popular gods were Mars, Venus, Apollo, Mercury and Bacchus.
Religion and mythology in the provinces were not practised in the pure Roman
form. In fact, Roman and native deities merged. It is difficult to tell whether it was
the Romans who blended the native gods they encountered with their own deities,
as did Julius Caesar in Gaul, or whether it was the vice versa.
Some of the best examples of such blending can be found on inscriptions,
which associate the name of a Roman god with that of a Gaulish deity like Mercury
Cissonius (display case 24, no. 13), Mars Gradivus (display case 20, no. 13) or Mars
Caisivus (display case 17, no. 6).
Jupiter (display case 20, nos. 1-3 and display case 21) was the supreme deity.
Caesar mentioned him as one of the five main gods of the Gauls. The Jupiter cult
is well documented in this region thanks to inscriptions and numerous depictions.
One of the most common representations shows him on horseback tearing across a
defeated giant holding a flash of lightening in his hand. Such a statue, perched high
up on a column, existed in Aventicum. Jupiter symbolised the victory of the sky god
over the powers of the underworld.
Mercury (display case 20, nos. 4-9, 14) was the patron of travellers and merchants
and, for the Gauls, the inventor of all the arts. According to Julius Caesar he was
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First Floor
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