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Altar (fragment)

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from Birrens, Dumfriesshire

Altar (fragment)
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This fragment of a stone altar was found at the site of the Roman fort at Birrens in Dumfriesshire. It was carved sometime between 80 and 180 AD.

The fragmentary inscription records that the altar was dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus by a woman named Magunna. Jupiter Dolichenus was a god from the East, a mixture of the Roman god Jupiter and a Syrian sky god. His worship was popular amongst the soldiers.

An altar was a public sign of a Roman's beliefs. On each, the donor's name as well as the god's was recorded. The presence of some women of rank in the Roman forts is indicated by dedications such as this one, as well as some surviving letters.

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