Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

lupiter-Columns 89
Another variety of 'Jupiter-column,' found over a wider area'
and dating, it would seem, from a somewhat earlier period 2, was
surmounted merely by a seated or standing
figure of the sky-god I These columns were
characterised by much sculptural decoration''.
Their square plinth was regularly a Viergotter-
steiii carved with deities : indeed, it seems
probable that the practice of thus adorning the
plinth began with the makers of the earlier
columns and spread from them to the makers
of the rider-and-giant series, who improved upon
the earlier plan by restricting the deities in
question to representatives of the seasons, soon
afterwards adding the heads or busts on the
capital to denote the divisions of the day, and
at the same time or but little later introducing
the WocJieiigdtterstein as a secondary plinth'.
The shaft of the earlier columns might be left
smooth (fig. 51)", but was often patterned with
scales etc.'', and sometimes also embellished with
the figures of deities, e.g. Mercurius, Minerva,
luno (fig. 52)^ or Hercules, Minerva, luno in
^ F. Hertlein op. cit. p. 51 :
' deraitige Sriulen mit stehen-
dem oder thronendem Juppiter finden sich haufig ausserhalb
des Gebietes der Gigantengiuppen und an der Peripherie derselben,
wo diese sehr selten sind, wie in der Kolner Gegend'
(cp. ib. pp. 53, 158).
- Id. ib. p. 159.
^ Hence F. Hertlein op. cit. passim would distinguish them
as " Juppite7-sdiden ' from the 'Jiippitergigantensaiden ' already
discussed. This convenient nomenclature is more possible in
German than in English.
* F. Hertlein op. cit. p. 157.
^ Id. ib. pp. 159— 161.
_^>-—
" So in the case of the smaller column from Heddernheim ^'S- S'-
(O. Donner-von Richter and A. Riese Heddemheimer Aiisgrabimgen Frankfurt am Main
1885 (an Stelle des Neujahrs-Blattes des Vereins ftir Geschichte und Alterthumskunde
fur 1885 und 1886) pi. i, 2f. =my fig. 51, F. Hertlein op. cit. pp. 6, 158, supra p. 71
n. 6), which has a total height of 2 -so'" and is accompanied by an altar 0-625'" high
inscribed l{ovi) O(ptimo) M(axinto).
" F. Hertlein op. cit. p. 158, cp. ib. p. 84.
** Id. ib. p. 157 f. I figure the limestone altar, column, and statue found in 1880 at
Mayence among the ruins of a large Roman building and now in the Mayence Museum
(J. Keller in iha/ahrb. d. Vereins v. Altcrthninsfrciind. im Rheinl. 1881 Ixx. i ff. pi. i,
F. Hettner in the Westdeutsche Zeitschrift 1885 iv. 370 f., Kdrber in the Maittzer Zeit-
schrift 1906 i. 62 fig., F. Hertlein op. cit. p. isyf.). The altar (height 0-50'", length
and breadth 0-3 5"') is inscribed I{ovi) O(ptimo) AI(aximo) 1
\
M.P.P.
\
v.s.l.l.m.
The
column (upper diameter o-i8"', height c. r6o'"), once mounted on a plinth, is decorated