Zeus Bennios: A few more notes

Argaios (Erciyes) constitutes one of the most deeply-rooted cults as a mountain god in Cappadocia Region since the Hittite period. Pictured antropomorphically by the Hittites, this mountain god is seen as a triangular mountain symbol in numismatic data since the reign of Archelaus. Since then and until the 3rd century A.D., Argaios was depicted together with many figures and motives on coins, gems, and agalmas, which created the versatile worship and the syncretic structure of this mountain cult. One result from this versatile worship in Argaios is the cult of Zeus Argaios. Nevertheless, there is no epigraphic data yet to support the existence of a belief system as Zeus Argaios. However, the existence of this cult is necessarily proved by Zeus-Argaios and Argaios-eagle depictions seen on the coins minted in Caesarea, the capital of the region, and on the agalmas some of which have the image of a bearded god. It can therefore be concluded that the seat of Zeus was on top of Argaios for almost three centuries, and this cult was widely worshipped.

Balcanica XXXIX/2008, Institute for Balkan Studies of SASA, Belgrade 2009, 59–68.

The triad Zeus, Herakles and Dionysos has been attested in Upper Moesia by the relief from the village of Bukovo near Negotin, eastern Serbia. The Roman supreme god was frequently shown in association with other deities, but the presence of Bacchus and Hercules in such associations is Greek rather than Roman in origin. The association of Liber and Hercules was promoted by the emperor Septimius Severus, a native of the city of Leptis Magna whose patron gods were concurrently Liber and Hercules. Septimius even granted the dii patrii a sort of official recognition as patrons of the dynasty he founded. The village of Bukovo where the relief was found had not been known as an archaeological site. There is no specific evidence for the worship of Jupiter in that area, while the worship of Herakles is attested on the sites of Rovine and Tamnič near Negotin. The relief is close to north-Macedonian reliefs in style, and reflects Hellenistic and Thracian influence in associating the cults of Dionysos and Herakles. The depicted deities are compatible and close to Septimius Severus' official religion. The central position of the supreme god indicates his importance as well as the fact that the other two deities are associated to him, as his children, patrons of nature and fertility in the underground and aboveground worlds. It is also important to note that the relief confirms Hellenistic religious influences in the area of the Upper Moesian limes.

Recent excavations at a site in the province of Bursa have uncovered altars dedicated to a local Zeus, “Zeus Anabatênos,” one of which also mentions a Zeus known elsewhere, “Zeus Kersoullos.”

Schriften des Instituts für Interdisziplinäre Zypern-Studien, vol. 13, 2019, ca. 778 pages, hardcover., with numerous coloured illustrations, € 94,00, ISBN 978-3-8309-3479-0 E-Book: € 84,99, ISBN 978-3-8309-8479-5 www.waxmann.com Further book information here. Steinfurter Str. 555 48159 Münster Fon +49 (0)2 51 -2 65 04-0 Fax +49 (0)2 51 -2 65 04-26

2015

The private character of Zeus' cult. Zeus as the god of natural forces and fertility….. 8 Zeus as the guardian of human life and insurer of salvation and recovery……….…. 11 The official-royal character of Zeus' cult. Zeus as patron of local communities…… The official-royal character of Zeus' cult. Zeus Stratios…………………………...

PhD Dissertation, defended in August 2015 / This is a study of Orphic literature that does two things: (1) reconstructs the tradition of Orphic theogonies (four poems about the births of the gods: Derveni, Eudemian, Hieronyman, Rhapsodies); and (2) attempts to explain how the Neoplatonists of later antiquity applied allegorical interpretation to Orphic theogonies, specifically the Rhapsodies.