Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 2,2): Zeus god of the dark sky (thunder and lightning): Appendixes and index (Cambridge, 1925)

The Mountain-cults of Zeus 975

Stratius in the customary manner, and also to Poseidon by plunging a chariot with white
horses into the sea.'

Imperial coppers of Amaseia, the residence of the Pontic kings (Strab. 561), have been
rightly interpreted as referring to this cult (C. Cavedoni in the Bull. d. Inst. 1840 p. 70 f.).
They exhibit a large altar, sometimes of two stages and flaming. Beside it are two trees
with twisted trunks. Above it on some specimens there hovers an eagle, or the sun-god
in his quadriga, or both. Occasionally a bull is shown lying dead on the upper stage
[supra i. 602 n. 2. I illustrate four examples. Fig. 858 = Waddington—Babelon—Reinach
Mbnn. gr. a"As. Mitt. i. 38 no. 78 pi. 5, 26 (Paris) Caracalla 206 a.d. ('une victime qui
parait etre un chien'!). Fig. 8$g = eid. ib. i. 38 no. 79 pi. 6, 1 (Paris) Caracalla 206 a.d.
Fig. 860 —eid. ib. i. 40 no. 96 pi. 6, 7 (A. Lobbecke) Geta 206 a.d. ('un taureau mort').
Fig. 861 is from a specimen, in my collection, struck by Severus Alexander in 232 a.d.).

F. Cumont—E. Cumont Voyage d? exploration archeologique dans le Pont et la Petite
Armenie {Studia Pontica ii) Bruxelles 1906 pp. 136—184 devote a chapter to Amaseia,
including a valuable discussion (pp. 145 f., 172 ff.) of Zeus Srpdrios and his cult. Their

Fig. 861.

discoveries may be resumed as follows. Some four miles due east of Amaseia rises a
rounded hill (1350™) known as Beuyuk Evlia, 'The Great Saint' (map xiii), and reputed
to be the burial-place of a santon or Turkish saint. Every year in May the peasants repair
to this otherwise deserted height, slaughter fowls and sheep, and feast merrily in honour
of the Profit Iliyd. A clump of large pines crowns the hill-top, venerable trees which are
held in such respect that no one will touch them with an axe. (By way of an ancient
parallel F. Cumont cites M. Tsakuroglou in the Islovaelov /ecu BifiXiodrjKr] tt]s ~Euayye\iKrjs
2xo\t}s ev 'S/xvpvr; 1878—1880 p. 164 no. tX/3' = S. Reinach Chroniqites d''Orient Paris 1891
p. 157 an inscription from Divlit near Koloe [Kould] in Lydia §tovs tk , /xr}[vbs~\ UepeiTiovi j3 ,
Aup. I ^rparoveiKos j8', eTreidi) Kara j ayvoiav eK rov <xA<xou[s] eKoxpa j 84v8pa deQiv Atos 2a/3afi'ot<
ko.1 j 'Apre/xiSos 'Avaeiris KoXaa'deLs, ev^ap-evos evxapicrrr]\piov dv^ffrrjcra with Tsakuroglou's
note : ' Au-dessus est represents un homme ; a cote de lui, sur la droite, deux arbres, et un
seul a gauche. II est remarquable que la defense de couper du bois dans le bois sacre de
Sabazios et d'Artemis Ana'itis subsiste encore aujourd'hui, car les habitants turcs de
Santal pres de Divlit croient que celui qui coupe du bois est puni par quelque maladie.'