Description

The offering genius is dressed in a tunic and toga. He wears a mural crown on his head, over which he has pulled his toga. In his left arm he holds a cornucopia filled with fruit and a pine cone. His right hand grips an offering bowl, which he empties onto a small, pillar-shaped altar.

Genii were male guardian spirits who embodied the effective powers of people and places. They were especially revered by soldiers. Important reference points in the troops' everyday life, such as buildings or units, could be exaggerated in the cultic ritual and thus strengthen the feeling of togetherness. The inscription on the base proves that the figure belongs to the Genius of one Centuria was consecrated, a unit of 80 men within the Roman army.