Posted on 04/10/2008 11:59:42 AM PDT by BGHater
HE was many miles from home - a Roman soldier posted to Manchester, perhaps feeling cold and lonely, longing for loved ones left behind.
He was called Aelius Victor. And now after 2,000 years an altar he built to keep a promise to the goddesses he prayed to has been unearthed in the middle of the city.
The altar - described by experts as being in 'fantastic' condition - was discovered during an archaeological dig at a site on Greater Jackson Street earmarked for development.
Aelius Victor had dedicated it to two minor goddesses.
A Latin inscription on the altar says: "To the mother goddesses Hananeftis and Ollototis, Aelius Victor willingly and deservedly fulfils a vow."
The find marks the first time in nearly 400 years that archaeologists have been able to put a name to a Mancunian Roman solider.
In 1612 another altar was found by the River Medlock, dedicated by Lucius Seniacianius Martius, a centurion - an officer - with the 20th Legion from York.
Commander
It is believed that Aelius Victor may have been a centurion commander posted from Germany - where worship of Hananeftis and Ollototis originates.
Norman Redhead, Greater Manchester's county archaeologist, said: "This is the first Roman stone inscription we have found for 150 years. It is a very, very valuable find and it is in fantastic condition, considering it has been in the ground for 2,000 years."
The altar was discovered during a pre-development dig at the site at the junction of Great Jackson Street and Chester Road.
Latter
Evidence suggests it may have been constructed in the latter part of the first century AD and later discarded, as it was found on top of an ancient rubbish pit.
The existence of a number of pits and ditches in the area suggest it was cleared for farming use.
The site is only hundreds of yards from a known fort and civilian settlement of Roman Manchester, dropping down to a ford across the River Medlock.
Mr Redhead said that, traditionally, that was the kind of area where places of worship were located. The altar will go on display at Manchester Museum.
General Julius Agricola (40-93AD), the commander of the invading legions, first founded a Roman settlement at the meeting point of the Rivers Irwell and Medlock. He called the place Mamuciam - meaning 'breast-shaped hill' because of the shape of the outcrop.
Archaeologists will be holding an open day at the dig site on Saturday between 10am to 3pm.
Ancient Graffiti ping.
LOL. I momentarily thought this was some kind of description of the soldier.
Now if it said “Incontinence Buttocks loves Biggus Diggus” it would be graffiti.
OK....who gets to keep this thing and what’s its value.
Goddess of elevators?
Victor served my great, great, great, great, great, great,.....grandfather well!
Norman Redhead......I wonder if he’s and ancestor of Norman Schwarzkopf?..........
The Romanized version of the God of bad breath?
bkmark. thanks
I wanna see the “breast shaped hill”.
Thanks for posting!
The names of the two german minor godesses are very interesting. I wonder if they were really German?
the words don’t sound German. Perhaps some Germanic language like Gothic.
Ollototis
A Brythonic Goddesses: Goddesses of all the Peoples
Synonyms: Ollototis
Bryth: Goddesses of all the Peoples
Ollototis is a goddess known from four inscriptions discovered in Britain. Three of these [RIB 1030; RIB 1031 and RIB 1032] come from the Vinovia Roman fort at Binchester, Durham. A good example of the inscriptions foud being: I O M ET MATRIBVS OLLOTOTIS SIVE TRANSMARINIS POMPONIVS DONATVS B F COS PRO SALVTE SVA ET SVORVM VSLM (To Jupiter Best and Greatest and to the Mother Goddesses Ollototae whether from across the ocean (or otherwise), Pomponius Donatus, Beneficiarius Consularis, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow for the health of himself and his family). The insciption from Heronbridge, Cheshire [RIB 574] reads DEABVS MATRIBVS OLLOTOTIS IVL SECVNDVS ET AELIA AVGVSTINA (To the goddesses Ollototae, Julius Secundus and Aelia Augustina [dedicate this altar]). In all the inscriptions the goddess is invoked as Matribus Ollototis (The Ollotatian Mothers). This puts the Ollodotiae as one of the Matres the Celtic and Germanic ‘Great Mother Goddesses’.
Unfortunately, no image and none of the attributes of attributes of Ollotis have survived and we are dependent on an interpretation of the Goddess’ name through which to derive her characteristics. Based on the reconstructed proto-Celtic lexicon it’s possible to derive a meaning for Ollodotis based on the elements: *allo- (all, other) and *towtƒ- (poeople, tirbe). Thus the Ollodotae are the ‘goddesses of all the peoples’. This would explain the goddesses’ popularity amongst foreign troops who were stationed in Britannia; for she was a protectrix of native and incomer alike.
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/gods_o/ollototis.html
“perhaps feeling cold and lonely, longing for loved ones left behind.”
How did they get that all that out of the tablet? Maybe he was feeling hot and horny, ready to kick some barbarian ass
Anybody here know what the V*S*LL*M on the bottom means?
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“Anybody here know what the V*S*LL*M on the bottom means?”
Do not know for sure but it may mean:
V = Ventito - I come often
S = Saluto - To Pay Respect
LL = Laetificus Letificus - And Spread Happiness
M = Maxime - to the highest degree
Just my guess!
Do not know for sure but it may mean:
V = Ventito - I come often
S = Saluto - To Pay Respect
LL = Laetificus Letificus - And Spread Happiness
M = Maxime - to the highest degree
Just my guess!
OMG. So text messaging abbreviations were around way back in 40 AD!IMHO, there really is nothing new under the sun!
LOL!
If you have to chisel the message in stone you would use short cuts too.
Our ancestors (despite what some believe) were not stupid.
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