Статтю присвячено вивченню вотивної мармурової плити з рельєфним зображенням фракійського
вершника, яку було виявлено 1961 р. в Тірі під час
дослідження житлового будинку № 3 римського
часу. Проаналізовано сцену, яку зображено на рельєфі; запропоновано нову інтерпретацію представленого сюжету.
In the article the marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 1961 in Tyras, and dated by the first half of the 3rd century
AD, is analyzed. The relief was found together with another limestone relief in room no. 29 of the large house no. ІІІ. It depicts
a complex scene with multiple members. In the middle of the relief a rider is depicted. He moves to the right, facing full face.
The rider holds a spear in his raised right hand. His horse slowly approaches the kneeling bull with its head down. The dog under
the body of the horse attacks the bull. The photo and the drawing show Hercules on the right and the man with the torch on the
left. In the background (behind the horse’s tail) stands a man with a torch and a tympanum (?). There is an object that looks like
a seashell above the man.
The author of the article suggests the following interpretation of the scene: the kneeling bull with bowed head is a sacrificial
animal, the rider is a priest preparing to perform or performing a sacrifice, and Hercules is the recipient of the sacrifice. The rhyton
held by Hercules emphasizes the meaning of the scene, since this vessel is intended for making or receiving a libation. The
man standing on the right with ritual attributes is a dedicant. The shell above the man can be a symbol of rebirth after death. The
complete analogies to the scenes depicted on the relief haven’t been known yet. However, there are several reliefs with similar
individual elements, in particular, those depicting a sacrificial bull.
There is no dedicatory inscription on the plate, so nothing is known about the social status and ethnic origin of the dedicant,
nor about the name and epithet of the god to whom it was addressed. We can only make the following assumptions: 1. The house
in which votive plates were found belonged to a wealthy family. This is evidenced by finds of coins and gold jewellery. The head
of the family obviously belonged to the local elite. 2. Perhaps the owner of the house was Thracian by origin. He could have
been a veteran of the Roman army or his descendant. It is known that in the 2nd — the first half of the 3rd centuries AD the Roman
garrison was located in Tyras. It was recruited in Lower Moesia. 3. Perhaps a marble relief was made to order. In this case, the
customer could choose the plot himself, which reflected an episode from his personal experience, in particular, participation in
mysteries. The room in which votive plates were discovered probably served as a home sanctuary (a place where the family
performed certain religious activities and placed offerings to the gods).
