A Roman altar dedicated to Jupiter, most probably from the year 163, discovered relatively recently during the restoration of the former Unitarian church in the town of Abrud, in its walls, was exhibited Wednesday at the National Museum of the Unification (MNU) Alba Iulia, informs Agerpres.
The almost two millennia old lithic piece is the proposal for the "January Exhibit of the Month", titled "A Beneficiarius attested in Abrud", presented on Wednesday at an event organized by the Alba County Council, the Alba County Directorate for Culture and the Alba Iulia MNU.
According to the historian George Bounegru, the altar was discovered in Abrud, in the walls of the Unitarian church, during the restoration works.
The lithic piece, made of sedimentary rock, was discovered in two pieces. The restorer Sidonia Olea reglued the two fragments after having previously applied specific cleaning, consolidation, etc. procedures. She also carried out volumetric and chromatic retouching, explained George Bounegru.
The inscription attests two characters.
The dedicator, Publius Aelius Longinianus, is a "beneficiarius consularis", most probably detached from the 13th Gemina Legion somewhere in the area, perhaps even in Abrud. A possible post of beneficiaries is thus attested.
"The beneficiaries were experienced soldiers, members of the staff of the governor of the province, who carried out various missions. They are known in all the provinces of the Empire through inscriptions attesting to their rank and their status as members of an officium subordinate to the governors. At Apulum, several inscriptions attest to people who have the same status," the historian said.
The beneficiaries are also attested by a series of distinctive ornaments, pieces of bronze military equipment in the shape of a stylized spear riveted to the cross-belt by which the sword was held.
"The name on the Abrud inscription indicates that the character or a relative in the ascending line earned Roman citizenship during the reign of Hadrian. The second personage is A. Iunius Pastor, consul ordinarius in the year 163, thus dating the inscription," added George Bounegru.
Published in the specialized literature in 2023, the inscription is part of a series of valuable Roman sculptural monuments discovered in Alba County.
Built in the second half of the 18th century in the Baroque style, the former Unitarian church in Abrud, which was in a state of extreme decay, was restored by the local administration to be transformed into a recreational center.