A Magical ‘Time God’

Abstract

Domenico Facenna reported the discovery of this repousse plaque of thin gold foil among the remains of a Roman villa located at the Ospedale di S. Giovanni in Ciciliano. Vermaseren reports that the National Museum at Rome has since misplaced the piece. The distinctive ‘Trajanic’ hairstyle of the figure embossed on the plaque dates the lamella to the period ca. 98–117 A.D.: The plaque shows inside an oval surrounding line a standing nude figure in a stiff, hieratic attitude; though its sex in not indicated, it is clearly male. The person is awkwardly represented, with short hair around his forehead — the only indication of the date, which might be the Trajanic period. He is entwined by a large snake putting its head on the middle of his breast between a bundle of four poppies and a hook-like key which he holds respectively in his left and right hands. Underneath his feet, which have the appearance of an animal’s claw, are two triangles, each pierced by either a nail pointing outwards, or a little arrow (Vermaseren 1971: 446).