Description

The muscular bull has hit his tail with the small tassel on the right side of his back. The stone under the belly was probably not removed by the sculptor for greater stability.

The statuette comes from the sanctuary of Jupiter Dolichenus in Stockstadt am Main. It was placed there by a believer as a votive gift to the god in the first half of the 3rd century AD. The excavators also discovered altars for Jupiter Dolichenus and large quantities of bull horns and skulls in the sanctuary. They come from sacrifices that the cult community held in the sanctuary.

The cult of Jupiter Dolichenus originated in the city of Doliche (Dülük, Turkey) and was particularly widespread among soldiers. The god is usually depicted on the back of a bull.