DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0365
The Mother-goddess and her pdredros 299
the goddess. The rest of the lid is covered with corn-ears, which
fall outwards from the centre : the cock's tail is formed by some of
them1 and supported by others. On the front of the basket is in-
scribed ' M. Modius Maximus, Archigallus of the colony of Ostia2.'
The latter part of the inscription is grouped about pan-pipes, and
round it are disposed other tokens of the cult; to the right, a
lagobolon, a pipe, a flute (?) ; to the left, a timbrel and a bed of
reeds3, among which are seen the head of Attis, the head of Zeus,
the lion of Kybele, etc. This curious
relic seems to have been a corn-
measure or modius dedicated by the
chief-priest, presumably because his
own name happened to be Modius.
Sir James Frazer supposes that it con-
tained the priest's ashes4. But, arguing
from the analogy of the Cabiric bas-
ket5, I should surmise that it was the
receptacle for the genitals of which,
in accordance with the Phrygian rite
(fig. 191 )6, the Archigallus had de-
prived himself7. Votaries of Kybele, Zeus, and Attis were wont to
wear effigies of the gods that they served8. A statue brought from
Go/dm Bough'3: Adonis Attis Osiris3 i. 279 (who notes that the ' urn' is in the Lateran
Museum, no. 1046).
1 Cp. the tail of the Mithraic bull [supra i. 518), which ends in three corn-ears.
2 Corp. inscr. Lat. xiv no. 385 = Dessau Inscr. Lai. sel. no. 4162 M. Modius
Maxximus (sic) | archigallus | colojniae | Osti|ensis (Dessau reads Ostiens. But see
fig. 190).
3 H. Dessau loc. cit. says 'arbores.' But C. L. Visconti he. cit. and H. Graillot
Le culte de Cybele Mere des dietix a Rome et dans Pempire romain Paris 1912 p. 117 n. 2
rightly connect the reeds with the Cannophori (F. Cumont in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc.
iii. 14845.) and their festival known as canna intrat on March 15 (Wissowa Rel. Kult.
Rom.2 p. 321).
4 Frazer Golden Bough'3: Adonis Attis Osiris3 i. 279.
:) Supra i. 107 f. See now an interesting article by E. M. W. Tillyard 'A Cybele altar
in London' in the Journ. Rom. Stud. 1917 vii. 284 ff. pi. 8.
6 Morell. Thes. Num. Imp.Rom.\\.2p\ pi. n, i6( = myfig. 191) a bronze contorniate :
obv. imp • caes • vespasian • avg • cos • ill • Head of Vespasian, laureate, to right; rev.
A Gal/us, nude, castrating himself with a knife before an altar (?), or into a round
receptacle (??), set on or in the ground : behind him, his Phrygian cap. On the age and
purpose of such contorniates see Babelon Monn.gr. rom. i. 1. 689 ff., B. Pick in Pauly—
Wissowa Real-Enc. iv. 1153—ti6o, F. Lenormant in Daremberg—Saglio Did. Ant. i
1485—1488, Stevenson—Smith—Madden Diet. Rom. Coins p. 271 ff. (ib. p. 94).
7 Cp. the case of Kombabos (supra i. 591 n. 2). H. Graillot op. cit. pp. 134 n. 7,
179 n. 4 takes the same view, quoting Apul. met. 11. n, Paulin. Nol. 19. 186, poem,
ult. 79 ff. (Ixi. 525 a and 699 a Migne).
8 Hdt. 4. 76, Polyb. 21. 6. 7, 21. 37. 6, Dion. Hal. ant. Rom. 2. 19, cp. Cornut.
theol. 6 p. 6, 8 f. Lang.
the goddess. The rest of the lid is covered with corn-ears, which
fall outwards from the centre : the cock's tail is formed by some of
them1 and supported by others. On the front of the basket is in-
scribed ' M. Modius Maximus, Archigallus of the colony of Ostia2.'
The latter part of the inscription is grouped about pan-pipes, and
round it are disposed other tokens of the cult; to the right, a
lagobolon, a pipe, a flute (?) ; to the left, a timbrel and a bed of
reeds3, among which are seen the head of Attis, the head of Zeus,
the lion of Kybele, etc. This curious
relic seems to have been a corn-
measure or modius dedicated by the
chief-priest, presumably because his
own name happened to be Modius.
Sir James Frazer supposes that it con-
tained the priest's ashes4. But, arguing
from the analogy of the Cabiric bas-
ket5, I should surmise that it was the
receptacle for the genitals of which,
in accordance with the Phrygian rite
(fig. 191 )6, the Archigallus had de-
prived himself7. Votaries of Kybele, Zeus, and Attis were wont to
wear effigies of the gods that they served8. A statue brought from
Go/dm Bough'3: Adonis Attis Osiris3 i. 279 (who notes that the ' urn' is in the Lateran
Museum, no. 1046).
1 Cp. the tail of the Mithraic bull [supra i. 518), which ends in three corn-ears.
2 Corp. inscr. Lat. xiv no. 385 = Dessau Inscr. Lai. sel. no. 4162 M. Modius
Maxximus (sic) | archigallus | colojniae | Osti|ensis (Dessau reads Ostiens. But see
fig. 190).
3 H. Dessau loc. cit. says 'arbores.' But C. L. Visconti he. cit. and H. Graillot
Le culte de Cybele Mere des dietix a Rome et dans Pempire romain Paris 1912 p. 117 n. 2
rightly connect the reeds with the Cannophori (F. Cumont in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc.
iii. 14845.) and their festival known as canna intrat on March 15 (Wissowa Rel. Kult.
Rom.2 p. 321).
4 Frazer Golden Bough'3: Adonis Attis Osiris3 i. 279.
:) Supra i. 107 f. See now an interesting article by E. M. W. Tillyard 'A Cybele altar
in London' in the Journ. Rom. Stud. 1917 vii. 284 ff. pi. 8.
6 Morell. Thes. Num. Imp.Rom.\\.2p\ pi. n, i6( = myfig. 191) a bronze contorniate :
obv. imp • caes • vespasian • avg • cos • ill • Head of Vespasian, laureate, to right; rev.
A Gal/us, nude, castrating himself with a knife before an altar (?), or into a round
receptacle (??), set on or in the ground : behind him, his Phrygian cap. On the age and
purpose of such contorniates see Babelon Monn.gr. rom. i. 1. 689 ff., B. Pick in Pauly—
Wissowa Real-Enc. iv. 1153—ti6o, F. Lenormant in Daremberg—Saglio Did. Ant. i
1485—1488, Stevenson—Smith—Madden Diet. Rom. Coins p. 271 ff. (ib. p. 94).
7 Cp. the case of Kombabos (supra i. 591 n. 2). H. Graillot op. cit. pp. 134 n. 7,
179 n. 4 takes the same view, quoting Apul. met. 11. n, Paulin. Nol. 19. 186, poem,
ult. 79 ff. (Ixi. 525 a and 699 a Migne).
8 Hdt. 4. 76, Polyb. 21. 6. 7, 21. 37. 6, Dion. Hal. ant. Rom. 2. 19, cp. Cornut.
theol. 6 p. 6, 8 f. Lang.