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Small votive plaques forged from precious metals
such as this one were common to the regions of
the western Black Sea coast under Roman
control. Scholars believe that the images of a
woman gently hammered onto the metal plaques
in a technique known as repoussé likely
represents the Phyrigian goddess Cybele. As
Hellenistic influence began to infiltrate Asia
Minor, the Anatolian cult of the mother goddess,
which can be traced back to the Neolithic era,
remained a vital force. Based on the late Hittite
goddess Kubaba, Cybele represented the most
contemporary adaptation of this ancient fertility
goddess. Called the Great Mother, she was one
of the few Eastern deities whose cult was
absorbed into the Roman pantheon almost fully
intact.
Here, she is depicted in the form of a woman
crowned with a kalathos, a type of tiered basket
symbolic of her fertility. She wears a garment
belted just below her breasts and holds her arms
in front of her, revealing her open palms to the
viewer. She is framed by a stylized shrine
composed of two elaborate columns with volute
capitals that support a triangular pediment that
is decorated with a bust of the moon goddess
Selene. A cymbal and a flute appear in the field
on either side of the goddess, while a fish is
present below. The Great Mother Goddess of
Anatolian mythology was worshipped before
history was first recorded. Over time, her name
and image changed as her cult was adopted and
adapted by the varying civilizations that at one
time ruled the land of Asia Minor. Here, on this
silver votive plaque, we witness this deity as she
appeared to the Romans. Centuries later, this
portrayal of the ancient Mother Goddess would
survive in the form of the Virgin Mary, who is
traditionally represented in Eastern Orthodox art
forming a similar gesture.
- (X.0165)
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