Brocolita altar

[Caballo]

The altar and carving was done by Simon Jameson, who we met in Kelmarsh. Website here http://www.1066creations.co.uk/roman.htm . Good guy.

The wording is from a lost altar found at Brocolita in 1716 (RIB 1548)

DEO
VETERI
VOTVM
VCCVS
V L

and means An offering for the god Vheterus (or the Old Gods) from Uccus, a veteran of the legions. I wonder whether he may have been from VI Valeria Victrix given the VVVV, who were also based at Brocolita as well as (of course) the first Cohort of Batavians.

I also got a second, blank altar that I'll paint up. So many blank altars were found that I suspect many were just painted rather than carved.

The only thing I added was information and red paint!

In the background my portable lararium that I made from a stone photoframe bought at a second hand stall at our local fete, with a colour print of a Pompeii lararium painting inserted, a small bronze portable altar with Minerva and Fortuna plus a small incense burner from Ade of Armamentaria with a "to the holy genius of this place" inscription.

[D B Campbell]

Nice altar!

... means An offering for the god Vheterus (or the Old Gods) from Uccus, a veteran of the legions.

Incidentally, the abbreviation V L stands for vovit libens, "gladly pledged". The message, if correctly transcribed -- the altar had been lost by Horsley's day (1730s) --, means "Uccus gladly made his vow to the god Veteris".

[Caballo]

Thanks DB.

And if anyone can help me trace a picture of another Brocolita altar, this time from he nymphaeum, I'd be very grateful ... <!-- l <a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=30019">viewtopic.php?f=17&t=30019<!-- l

[D B Campbell]

And if anyone can help me trace a picture of another Brocolita altar, this time from he nymphaeum, I'd be very grateful ...

Done! http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/viewtopic.php?p=271397#p271397

[Epictetus]

That's impressive!

[jvrjenivs]

Thats a nice altar, Paul. I certainly like it and when I'm back in the UK (by car) I'm going to ask them to make one or two for me too. (one with lettering, one without for a nice paintjob). Well done and thanks for sharing.

Based on the fact that the Roman live was so much about religion, we see way too few of these kind of stuff around in re-enactment, in my opinion.