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Home , Caracalla, Damnatio memoriae, Gordion, Macrinus, Sakarya River

“To The VicTory of ”

sk any archaeologist whether chance finds New Roman Altars are a crucial source of information and the answer you will receive—if he or she is being can- at did—is yes. Chance finds perform a substantial role in helping us to reconstruct the past. Even by gareth darbyshire, Awith all our methodically planned excavations, our carefully strat- egized surveys, and our increasing scientific expertise, we are often kenneth w. harl, and beholden to the unanticipated gifts of Lady Luck, she who was andrew l. goldman once known to the Romans as Fortuna and to the Greeks as Tyche. This was exactly the case at ancient Gordion in central Below, the first altar (S-113) was noticed on the banks during the summer of 2008, when fortune smiled upon the exca- of the Sakarya in 2007. It was photographed by vation team and provided it with an unexpected bounty: two Ben Marsh before it disappeared into the river. inscribed and decorated marble altars dating to the Roman impe- rial period. These are the first military altars ever found at the site, and the timing of their accidental recovery has been fortuitous as Roman Gordion has been the subject of considerable research over the past decade. New excavations of Gordion’s Roman-period set- tlement, accompanied by fresh analyses of objects obtained from its domestic and funerary contexts, have substantially improved our understanding of the site’s character and function during the Ben Marsh

www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition 31 Plan of the Citadel Mound, indicating the findspot of the new altars, the presumed extent of Roman occupation (shaded pink), and the recent trenches exploring the Roman-period settlement (shown as purple rectangles).

1st to early 5th centuries CE. However, many questions example, in recent years the intensification of plowing remain unanswered as we continue to explore this later in the fields near the Citadel Mound has led to several phase of Gordion’s long occupation. These chance finds exciting recoveries including the inscribed tombstone not only verify and amplify recent discoveries concern- of a Roman auxiliary soldier. The accidental exposure ing a longstanding Roman military presence at Gordion, of the new altars—designated S-113 and S-114—was but they also hint at a hitherto unsuspected event in the due to both natural and man-made factors affecting the site’s long history: the possible visit of a , which today is channeled alongside the to the auxiliary soldiers once stationed there. western flank of Gordion’s Citadel Mound (in antiq- uity it flowed at the east ). Known as the Sangarios The Recovery of in ancient times, the river remains the region’s princi- The Roman AlTars pal water source. In 1893, it played a pivotal role in the site’s rediscovery, when the German classical philolo- Now housed safely at the , the two gist Alfred Körte followed clues from ancient literary altars were rescued by members of the Gordion Project, sources that specified Gordion’s location on the river. the archaeological team that has worked at the site since The Sakarya is now considerably lower than it was 1950 under the aegis of the Penn Museum. in Körte’s time owing to the recent intensification of The random discovery of objects that provide valu- agricultural irrigation drawing off its water. This, com- able information is no rarity at Gordion. A site of con- bined with the seasonal ebb of the river in the dry sum- siderable size and prosperity, the ancient city and its mers, has resulted in previously submerged features immediate hinterland continue to produce a hodge- now becoming visible, among them the two Roman-

podge of stray finds on an almost annual basis. For period altars. G. Pizzorno and G. Darbyshire

32 volume 51, number 2 expedition The altars first drew notice during the summer of 2007, when geomor- phologist Ben Marsh was conducting work on the east bank of the river. Across the water he noted one altar (S-113) free of the western bank and lying at the water’s edge, with some of the stone’s decorative motifs clearly visible. Apparently no one on the Gordion team had noticed the block before, so it may have only recently eroded out of the bank. He photo- graphed the stone and brought it to the attention of others on the team. Much to his surprise, when Marsh returned a few days later to the riv- erbank to examine the block with Gareth Darbyshire, Gordion’s archi- vist and a long-time researcher with the project, the stone had entirely vanished. Where could it have gone? Certainly the stone’s size was such that it was impossible for even four men to carry it, and no drag marks were evident along the steep river- bank. Perhaps more importantly, With the help of a six-man recovery team and the use of a backhoe, Altar S-113 was lifted from the Sakarya. no stone fragments remained on the bank to indicate that the altar had been smashed on the spot in a deluded search for gold hidden inside—a commonly held traditional belief in the region. After a thorough investigation yielded no evidence to indicate the monument had been either dragged away or destroyed, Marsh and Darbyshire concluded that it had slumped into the river and now lay submerged in the water’s murky depths. As there was no time left in 2007 to attempt a rescue, the altar remained where it was until the fol- lowing season, when Darbyshire and Vahap Kaya, an archaeologist at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in and the Gordion com-

˘ missar of the Turkish General Conservators (left to right) Lauren Horelick, Cricket Harbeck, and Tara Directorate of the Ministry of Culture Hornung, working on altar S-113. On both altars, up to a 1/2 inch thickness of river concretion was removed by manual reduction using chisels and Zekeriya Utg u (top), Penn Museum Gordion Archive (bottom) and Tourism, decided to fish out the scalpels, enough to reveal the inscriptions and decorative motifs.

www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition 33 Left, after the front of altar S-114 was cleaned, a winged Victory and a dedicatory inscription to Caracalla were revealed. Middle, conservators uncovered a thick laurel wreath with looped fillets on the side of altar S-113. Right, a shield with javelins was discovered on the cleaned rear of altar S-113.

elusive monument. They formulated a plan to retrieve an extensive jumble of stones that included large re-used the hefty object using tackle and a backhoe hired from cut blocks (spolia) and smaller fieldstones. The first altar a private, non-archaeological concern working in the (S-113) appeared to have been part of the same mass, nearby village of Yassıhöyük. In addition to Darbyshire presumably the collapsed fabric of a monumental wall and Kaya, the recovery team included Zekeriya Utgu,˘ that had been truncated by the river. The date, precise chief guard of the Gordion Project, Onur Soysalan of the character, and extent of this wall remains uncertain, as Gordion Museum, and Satılmıs¸ Yılmaz from the village, the area is masked by thick riverbank vegetation and has each of whom volunteered to act as divers in the opera- seen no formal archaeological survey or excavation, lying tion, as well as Brian Rose, Gordion Project co-director as it does on the border of the zone in which the Gordion and Deputy Director of the Penn Museum, and Richard Project is permitted to carry out its archaeological work. Liebhart, another long-time Gordion researcher. The But even a cursory investigation of this intriguing, col- venture proved more complex than anticipated, as lapsed structure has proved useful, allowing the team the riverbank provided neither much firm ground to determine that the altars had been reused and were nor room-for-maneuver for the backhoe operator. not in their original archaeological context, and that the Furthermore, the divers eventually discovered that the construction of the monumental structure post-dates stone had slumped into a deeper part of the river, a the manufacturing date of the altars. plunge-pool up to four meters deep. Fortunately, the With the bank now cleared, the rescuers focused on water level in 2008 was even lower than usual due to a locating the altar in the river, no easy task given the dark- drought, a circumstance that enabled the team to com- ness and coldness of the Sakarya’s water and the presence plete the recovery successfully in a single day. of many other blocks on the riverbed. With the approxi- Even before the first diver hit the water, a new sur- mate size of the altar and the character of its decorative prise awaited the team. During the clearance of vegeta- relief motifs in mind, the stone was eventually located tion preparatory to the recovery of the first altar, a sec- after repeated diving and blind touching of underwater ond marble altar (S-114) was found embedded in the objects. With some difficulty a cable harness was then

riverbank. It lay jammed against a column drum, part of fastened around the block, and the other end of the cable Penn Museum Gordion Archive

34 volume 51, number 2 expedition was secured to the backhoe that was then skillfully used behind which are three diagonally-set javelins or spears. to haul the stone from the water. The altar was carried These symbols are standard fare on military altars found by the backhoe to the museum in Yassıhöyük and posi- throughout the Roman , and the presence of tioned in the courtyard, where it was given preliminary such altars at Gordion adds further support to the recent treatment by members of the Gordion Project conserva- discovery that Gordion served as a minor military base tion team. The second altar (S-114) was removed from during the Roman imperial period. the riverbank shortly afterwards, for its own safety, and That such altars should be found even at a small, also taken to the museum via the backhoe, where it was rural garrison site like Gordion is not unexpected. Altars set up next to the first one for conservation treatment are ubiquitous at military installations of all kinds from and display. northern Britain to the banks of the , and their dedicatory inscriptions represent one of our best sources The AlTars’ DecoraTion of information about the identity of soldiers and officers, and inscripTions the location of specific garrison sites, Roman military deployment strategies, and religious customs among the Although conservation has not yet been completed, ini- army units. Although the Gordion altars were not found tial cleaning of the altars has revealed a wealth of intrigu- in situ, excavation of Roman forts in Britain and else- ing detail. In size and decoration, the two altars, both where indicates that such monuments could be set up at nearly complete, are virtually identical. Slightly over one a number of locations, including the main headquarters meter in height and half a meter in thickness, and almost building (principia) and along the edges of the parade square in cross-section, they carry elaborate relief deco- ground. According to inscriptions carved into the façade, ration on all four sides. Below the flat top is an upper commanders or whole units were normally responsible zone of moldings, with evidence on S-114 that the four for their dedication. Exactly how such monuments were corners of this zone were each originally adorned with funded and purchased, at what would have been a con- a palmette. The front of the twin monuments carries a siderable expense for those involved, remains unclear. depiction of draped, winged Victory striding forwards and carrying a palm branch—a typical symbol of triumph—in her outstretched right hand. Victoria is the Roman equivalent of Nike, the Greek god- dess of victory, who was worshipped by members of the . It is also on this face that the inscrip- tions occur, discussed below. Not surpris- ingly, the sides and rear of the altars display further military imag- ery of a Roman type: a thick laurel wreath with looped fillets on each ˘ of the pair of side pan- els, while the rear face Part of the rescue team with altar S-113 at the Gordion Museum. Left to Right: Zekeriya Utgu,˘ Gareth Darbyshire, Onur Soysalan, and Vahap Kaya. Zekeriya Utgu carries a round shield

www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition 35 Military altars like those from he emperor Caracalla (reigned 198– Gordion could serve a number of pur- 217 CE) was born as Lucius Septimius poses. Many were dedicated to Jupiter TBassianus in 188 CE. The son of the the Best and Greatest (Iuppiter Optimus emperor (reigned 193–211 Maximus), although other deities, nota- CE), he was said to have possessed the sav- bly Mars, Hercules, and Victory, were agery of and the paranoia of . In also well represented. The rites and sacri- 198, Caracalla, then age ten, was declared co- fices by military units, which would have emperor with his father, a leading senator who had battled his way to the throne during a bru- taken place in front of such relatively tal civil war. Septimius Severus sought legiti- small altars, were offered on numerous macy by having the Senate vote retroactively his occasions, including official thanksgiv- adoption by (reigned 161–180 ing ceremonies, the celebration of public CE), the deceased emperor who was already holidays, and special festivals in honor revered as the noblest of rulers. Caracalla was of deities or the imperial cult. In the case then renamed Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and of the Gordion altars, the character of so became the new Marcus Aurelius. He is, how- the dedication (see below) suggests that ever, best known by his nickname, taken from they were used for the latter purpose, the Gallic cloak that he popularized among the for offerings on behalf of the health (pro Roman soldiery, men who were fiercely devoted salutate) of the emperor. That hundreds to him as a comrade in arms. The nickname of such monuments have survived across was an ominous sign, for another emperor who the Empire is clear testimony to the was the darling of the army, the mad Caligula, strong sense of pride, duty, and piety that also owed his nickname—“Little Boots”—to these soldiers possessed. the soldiers. A tough veteran, Caracalla campaigned on The Emperor Caracalla the Rhine in 213, and then, in the next year, and his ParThian War declared war against , ’s rival in C a r aca ll the East. At issue was the strategic plateau of Noteworthy for their decorative carv- Armenia, but Caracalla likely aimed to strike ing alone, the two new altars generated south at the twin Parthian capitals of yet more excitement and proved even and on the , just like his father more remarkable as their initial cleaning had done in his successful Parthian War fifteen proceeded, and conservators detected years earlier. After marching through inscriptions on the front face of each in 214–15, he arrived in Syria and prepared to altar, above and alongside the depiction invade Parthia. However, in 217 he was assas- sinated on orders of his Praetorian Prefect, of the Victories. Although only one of . Macrinus feared his suspicious these inscriptions is fully visible, that on imperial master, who in 202 had engineered altar S-114, the information it contains the death of his predecessor Gaius Fulvius provides us with exactly the data we need Plautianus, the kinsman and powerful prefect for dating the twin monuments and for of Septimius Severus. Macrinus (reigned 217– identifying the soldiers who dedicated 218) promptly ordered the deification of his them. The three lines above the figure murdered master, and concluded an unpopu- of Victory read, in typically abbreviated lar peace with the Parthians. Within fourteen , “VICTORIAE/IMP. M. AVR. months, Macrinus himself was overthrown and ANTONINI/PIIFELIC AVGVST” (“To executed when the eastern army rallied to an the victory of Emperor Marcus Aurelius adolescent cousin and namesake of Caracalla, Felix ”) clearly the notoriously depraved (reigned identifying the recipient of this dedica- 218–222) who was rumored to be Caracalla’s tion as the emperor better known as illegitimate son. Caracalla. Below, on either side of and

36 volume 51, number 2 expedition Tanya Silvernagel and modern now is what in Parthia, neighbor, eastern Rome’s conquer to forth set who Empire and Roman the during leaders ambitious so or half-dozen a of one was he and CE, 217 and 212 between Empire Roman the of ruler sole was Caracalla CE. 215–217 of War Parthian Caracalla’s to relating directly evidence tombstone fresh provides the inscription new the by earlier), mentioned provided is Equitata, Breucorum the of that (another, garrisons Gordion’s of one (see below). below appears to have been deliberately erased the on upper molding, “Victoriae” but the rest of the inscription dedication a is there S-113, altar, other the On claim. to eager were units auxiliary many that distinction of mark a himself, Caracalla by bestowed been have to likely honorific an is name title The time. that at northern in ing operat- unit principal the likely was it and Ancyra), (ancient Ankara in recovered been Several inscriptions dedicated to this unit have CE. centuries 3rd and 2nd the during Galatia of province the in stationed been have to known unit cavalry auxiliary an CYR./ANTONINANA”), AVG. cated beneath the Victory, we read that the altar has been dedi- the spring of 214, at the age of 26, he arrived in western in arrived he 26, of age the at 214, of spring the Great. the Alexander of imitation in campaign ern east- an wage to yearning a by seized was Caracalla 214, in Parthia of Artabanus King against war of declaration crossing points. major its and River Euphrates the from and to Turkey of these massive armies, as the soldiers proceeded across movement the track to scholars helped coinage—have of issues commemorative and inscriptions, temporary con- passages, sources—literary surviving of variety A rendered by the communities along the marching route. sur- or demanding by, donated from, bought burdensome, resources substantial but transitory usually was through passing armies of impact The . and Europe of crossroads the as known justifiably region a Anatolia, of heartland the through ran The route invasion altogether. principal venture the survive to failed querors con- would-be many and area, those this subduing as at aimed costly and arduous as were expeditions tary eod t vle n unsig h nm of name the furnishing in value its Beyond According to our surviving literary sources, with his with sources, literary surviving our to According Iraq. ht olw te unit’s the follows that Antoniniana by the cohors I Cyrenaica Augusta I cohors the by n both modern and ancient times, few mili- few times, ancient and modern both In (“COH. PRIM./ (“COH. VII Iran In (cf. (cf. Asklepios. of statuette cult the holding city the of goddess the by greeted is emperor the CE; 214 in visit imperial Caracalla’s during struck of coin bronze a of reverse The niae ht odes arsnd n ntla lo cel- also Anatolia in garrisoned soldiers that indicate Gordion at altars discovered newly The Anatolia. across provincials Greek of acclaims the to Alexander new the celebrated onbronzecoins. again honor, his in games scheduled citizens the where Ancyra, at arriving before Gordion through passed have well very may Caracalla Turkey). western in tuary of the healing god Asklepios at Pergamon (modern sanc- renowned the Asklepieion, the to visit Caracalla’s record coins bronze minted locally example, For age. coin- the supervising magistrate presiding the even and gods, city the emperor, the celebrate to means a as used were coins local These period. this during by cities eastern struck typically coins bronze token numerous the through Minor, Asia of sanctuaries and cities great the toured they as court his and Caracalla of route the trace Syria. Roman (modern of capital the Antakya), to Gates Cilician the through east south- then and Gordion, of way by likely very Ankara, well- to the the from running highway military known along marched army Roman The exploits. Alexander’s recreating of visions with filled Minor Asia En route to his Parthian war, Caracalla postured as postured Caracalla war, Parthian his to route En SNGFrance 2232 SNGFrance

). ). www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition s osbe to possible is It

37 38 volume 51, number 2 expedition 2 number 51, volume would notbeoutofplace. perhaps an offering to the goddess Fortuna—an altar?— his hatedbrotherGeta)?Atpresent,wecannotknow. example (for time that around from ruler other some to but all, at Caracalla to dedicated not was S-113 perhaps Alternatively, other. each to next up set not were bases assassination. his after defaced were inscriptions and images his of many but memoriae), (damnatio name his a of suffer erasure formal not did Caracalla altar, the examining when recalled Rose Brian co-director project As intriguing. more even perhaps is S-113 on inscription erased ently appar- The campaigns. eastern massive Rome’s of one in role participatory Gordion’s for evidence probable of Roman soldiers stationed there, but also we now have activities and presence the about more learning we are only Not century. 3rd early the in garrison military its and occupation Roman-period site’s the about scholars for information of source new important an provided master. imperial cious capri and suspicious his feared reason, good for who, Macrinus, Prefect southeastern Praetorian his in of order on respectively, Turkey) , and ern (mod Carrhae mur and between ignominiously road the on was dered he 217, 8, into April On entered battle. never Caracalla as fruitless, auxiliaries proved Gordion’s by victory for hopes and the Alexander, than commander a cessful half centuries before. a and five the Knot Gordian cut famous conqueror Macedonian the where site very the visiting Alexander, next the as himself saw who emperor young a for focus natural a been have his Parthian victories. Gordion would the emperor himself in anticipation of of presence the in altar their dedicated site the at stationed Augusta Cyrenaica the of soldiers auxiliary the 214. army in Caracalla’s of route the upon lay likely most Gordion and 213, since coins his on Augustus—found Felix Pius Antoninus Aurelius name—Marcus official the carries altar The army. his and emperor the of passage the ebrated ie te infcne f hs nw hne finds, chance new these of significance the Given has Gordion from S-114 altar on inscription The suc less far proved however, Caracalla, t therefore seems possible that possible seems therefore It t might have been that the twin altar twin the that been have might It oos I cohors - - - - Oklahoma Press, 1998. Press, Oklahoma and Second Centuries Second and Graham. Webster, 1987. Press, California East Roman W. Kenneth Harl, Expedition Turkey.” Gordion, at Military Roman the for Evidence New Fort–– Rural to Capital Phrygian “From Andrew. Goldman, 1988. Press, University Yale CT: Haven, New Anthony. Birley, Reading Further For Gordion ExcavationTeamsince1992. the goldman of member a been has University, Gonzaga at History l. andrew team since1996. excavation Gordion the on numismatist and University harl w. kenneth Penn Museum. darbyshire gareth Zeus Soter on the reverse. (cf. (cf. reverse. the on Soter Zeus and Asklepios to games local for crowns prize and obverse the on Caracalla shows Ancyra from coin bronze local a of reverse The 49-3(2007):6–12. , . Berkeley, CA: University of University CA: Berkeley, 180–276. AD Septimius Severus: The African Emperor African The Severus: Septimius Civic Coins and Civic Politics in the the in Politics Civic and Coins Civic The Roman Imperial Army of the First First the of Army Imperial Roman The

, 3rd ed. Norman, OK: University of University OK: Norman, ed. 3rd AD, is Professor of History at Tulane at History of Professor is is the Gordion Archivist at the at Archivist Gordion the is BMCGalatia a Ascae rfso of Professor Associate an , 24). 24). .

Tanya Silvernagel