Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1940)

go2 The stone of Elagabalos

attribute plastically rendered in gold1, and in any case is to be
viewed as the solar eagle of Syrian art2. It led the Romans to
equate Elagabalos with their own supreme deity Iupiter3.

This stone of the Emesenes, as F. Cumont4 insists, was in all
probability an actual aerolite. It rose into sudden notoriety when
its youthful high priest, Varius Avitus Bassianus, through the
intrigues of his grandmother Iulia Maesa was proclaimed emperor
by the troops in Syria (218 A.D.). He was saluted as Marcus
Aurelius Antoninus; but, since the Syrian priest identified himself
with his god, he was commonly called Elagabalus. On quitting
Emesa for Rome he took his stone with him. A temple, which
Marcus Aurelius had built for Faustina at the foot of Mount
Tauros, Elagabalus dedicated to his own godhead5. Wintering at
Nikomedeia, he appeared in public as a priest6 (figs. 742, 743)7;
and before he reached Rome he sent a large picture of himself

oblong (quid?) in its pediment. The stone is set on a base, protected by a balustrade
with a wreath-bearing eagle before it and a parasol on either side of it. Bronze coins of
Iulia Domna give the great altar at Emesa decorated with niches and sculpture (ib. p. 1$
no. 9 pi. 27, 11, nos. 10—1?. Fig. 740 is from a specimen of mine).

1 F. Studniczka in the Rom. Mitth. 1901 xvi. 275 f.

2 Supra i. 603 f. fig. 475, ii. 186, 431.

3 Spart. v. Caracall. II. 7 Heliogabalus Antoninus sibi vel Iovi Syrio vel Soli
incertum id est—templum fecit, Lamprid. v. Heliogab. 1. 5 fait autem Fleliogabali ve.
Iovis vel Solis sacerdos, 17. 8 praeter aedem Heliogabali dei, quem Solem alii> a''1
Iovem dicunt.

4 F. Cumont in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. v. 2219.

6 Iul. Capit. v. M. Ant. p/iilos. 26. 4 ff., Spart. v. Caracall. 11. 7 (supra p. 902 n. V'

6 Herodian. 5. 5. 3 f. 6 hi 'KvrwvXvos airdpas tt\s "Zvplas i\8<Jbv re is tt\v NiKo/iT?^1"'
ixdfiafc, tt\s Spas rod Itovs oihios airaiTovo-rjS. evdiws re i^e^aKxeiero, rtjv re icp^"1'^
rod eirixuptov 8eov, 77 ivridpairro, irepiepybrepov i^ojpx^ro, axv^avt re eaOijros TrdKvre
aTCLTOis xP^fitvos, 5id re iroptpvpas xPvcrou vtpafffiCMn Trepidtpalois re teal TpeXtoLS Koo~liofipe^°^
is elSos di n&pas areepdv-qv iirLKelp-evos XP^V KaL Xldots ttoikIXtjv Ttp,Lois. 7)v re avr$
(TXVfxa P-crai-v Qoivlffaris iepas o~to\9}s kcl %Xi5^s ±iltjdLKTjs. k.t.X. 0

7 Cohen Monn. emp. rom.2 iv. 329 no. 58 fig. ( = my fig. 742) silver, Paris* iK
nos. 59—65, 350 no. 276 f., Stevenson—Smith—Madden Diet. Rom. Coins p- 3'
Fig. 743 is from a specimen of mine. The horn set on the ground behind Elag3^ f
in fig. 742 suggests comparison with the horn set behind the Kabeiros on c01IJj]1jt
Thessalonike (supra i. 108 f. figs. 79, 80). H. Cohen loc. cit. p. 329 n. 1 remarks ^
Elagabalus' head here and elsewhere is often surmounted by a horn-like projection!,v
he believes to be Me symbole de la puissance.'