Cult statue depicting the god Priapus; place of discovery: Napoca? (Cluj-Napoca); 2nd - 3rd century AD.
Statue depicting the god Priapus. According to C. Pop and A. Bodor, a head, found in the same place, belongs to this statue. It is difficult to verify whether the head really matches the body, the neck being broken. The size of the head seems slightly larger in relation to the body, but we know that many of the statues produced in northern Dacia do not follow the canons and the correct anatomical ratio. We have chosen to exhibit the head together with the body because of the possibility indicated by some authors that the pieces come from the same statue, but also recognizing the opposite possibility.
According to 19th-century accounts, the piece was more complete at the time of its discovery than it is today. It had a head, the hands were not broken, the figure was holding an axe on his left hand and an eagle on his right hand. The god wears an ample cloak, fastened on the right shoulder with a round fibula, which at the back falls to mid-calf. In front, it covers the entire chest, while the abdomen, pelvis and lower limbs are bare. In a wide fold of the cloak, which is crossed over the forearms, he holds fruits. Hanging to the god’s left is a large bundle of lightning bolts. Considering the size of the statue, it was a cult statue that must have come from a sanctuary. Originally the statue must have been about 192 cm.