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Dedication and portrayal of sacrificial rite from Bridgeness (RIB 2139)
The inscription,
flanked by infantry shields called peltas, honors the Roman emperor
Antoninus Pius and records the construction by the 2nd Legion of a section
of the wall from Bridgeness, Scotland, at the east end of the Antonine Wall.
A sculptured panel on the left depicts a cavalry soldier galloping over four
native Britons. The relief panel on the right (seen here) shows a purification
ritual called a souvetaurilia, with a bull and sheep being led to
sacrifice at an altar. In this rare portrayal of the ceremony, while one
priest plays a double flute, another pours a libation over the altar, probably
devoted to the Roman war god Mars.
The inscription (with typical abbreviations) reads "For the Emperor Caesar
Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, father of his country, the
Second Legion Augusta built (this work) for a distance of 4,652 paces."
[Fig.1: Dedication slab from Bridgeness (RIB 2139; National Museum
of Scotland).]
[Return to RIB index.]
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