Sulis Minerva

 Inscriptions: 

“To the goddess Sulis for the welfare and safety of Marcus Aufidius Maximus, centurion of the Sixth Legion Victrix, Aufidius Eutuches, his freedman, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.” (RIB 143)

“To the goddess Sulis for the welfare and safety of Aufidius Maximus, centurion of the Sixth Legion Victrix, Marcus Aufidius Lemnus, his freedman, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.” (RIB 144)

“To the goddess Sulis Tiberius Claudius Sollemnis, son of Tiberius, … .” (RIB 145)

“To the goddess Sulis Minerva and to the Divinities of the (two) Emperors Gaius Curiatius Saturninus, centurion of the Second Legion Augusta, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow for himself and his kindred.” (RIB 146)

“To the goddess Sulis on behalf of the welfare of Gaius Javolenus Saturnalis, … imaginifer of the Second Legion Augusta, Lucius Manius Dionisias, his freedman, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.” (RIB 147)

“Quintus Pompeius Anicetus to Sulis.” (RIB 148)

“Priscus, son of Toutius, stonemason, a tribesman of the Carnutes, to the goddess Sulis willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.” (RIB 149)

“To the goddess Sulis Minerva Sulinus, son of Maturus, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.” (RIB 150)

Two inscriptions, listed below, speak to the importance of Sulis and Her cult at Aquae Sulis.

“To the goddess Sulis, Lucius Marcius Memor, soothsayer, gave (this) as a gift.” (RIB 3049)

“To the spirits of the departed; Gaius Calpurnius Receptus, priest of the goddess Sulis, lived 75 years; Calpurnia Trifosa, his freedwoman (and) wife, had this set up.” (RIB 155)

Soothsayers (haruspex), seen in RIB 3049, were highly specialised religious professionals with very high standings. Add to this the evidence of Roman priests to Sulis seen in RIB 155, and we see a highly structured and Roman cult to Sulis (Aldhouse-Green, 2004).

Temple at Aquae Sulis:

The waters at Aquae Sulis are iron-rich and hot (46 degrees celsius), the red steaming waters perhaps being reminiscent of the sun and fire. In addition to the Roman structures and rituals which took place at Aquae Sulis, there is evidence of offerings more associated with the Britons, such as depositions of coins, lead curse tablets and pewter mugs, which were perhaps used to pour out the healing water onto wounds (Aldhouse-Green, 2004). 

“In this space [Britain] are many great rivers, and hot springs refined with opulent splendour for the use of mortal men. Minerva is the patroness of these springs. In her shrine, the perpetual fires never whiten into ashes. When they dwindle away, they change into stony globules.” - Solinus, 22.10

The passage above from Solinus, written in the third century, talks about the temple to Sulis and Her perpetual fires. The link of fires,  the warm red waters of the spring, and Her etymology being tied to that of the sun suggests further the association, and possible domain of Sulis being that of the sun and is reasonable to suggest that Sulis was considered a Goddess of the sun in southern Britain. Furthermore, the cosmic associations of Sulis can be further strengthened when we consider that statues of the Gods Sol and Luna were found within the temple grounds.

The depiction of Luna rests above a facade that has been argued to represent the four seasons, as seen in the picture below. In addition, a silver crescent moon pendant was found within the waters of the temple and may have come from a sceptre carried by priests during rituals (Aldhouse-Green, 2018, pp. 100).

In the temple is the famous Gorgon, who would have been staring at all those who entered the site. What is unique about the Gorgon is that it is male and its Celtic style, such as the familiar almond eyes (McBurney, 2016). There are several theories about who or what the Gorgon represents, such as Oceanus, the legendary king Bladud, a Gorgon or a God in His own right (McBurney, 2016). The snakes indicate healing and protection, the wings of solar and cosmic associations and the flowing hair of both solar and watery domains (McBurney, 2016). The image, most likely a gorgon in this authors view, has close associations with Minerva, perhaps suggesting that the Gorgon is the protective deity of the temple itself.

Interpretatio:

Sulis was interpreted as Minerva in some inscriptions, although it should be noted that the most inscriptions are to Sulis and those which include both Sulis and Minerva list Sulis first (Aldhouse-Green, 2004). The interpretation with Minerva is likely that of Minerva Medica and relates to the healing aspect of Sulis (Koch, 2006). Healing is a common association for Gods of springs, and in Britain and Gaul, it often goes hand-in-hand with cursing, as two sides of the same coin (Aldhouse-Green, 2018, pp. 127-128). At Aquae Sulis, anatomical votive offerings and professional healers have been found, strengthening the healing role of Sulis (Aldhouse-Green, 2018, pp. 114).

Interpretatio Britanna:

Sulis is a multi-faceted Goddess who we may see in several ways. Firstly, as a Goddess of the sun and associated domains, such as sight, warmth, growth, fire, the seasons and the sky. Secondly, as a ‘judicial’ Goddess who rewards and punishes those who keep and break oaths, vows and law. Sulis can be considered a Goddess who helps you uphold promises and oaths by healing and providing warmth when you have little. As a Goddess of the sun, She may help with both internal and external sight and will always be there, radiating the energy to do the work we need to do. And, just as the sun guides and governs the seasons, so too does Sulis guide and govern our lives. We can call on Sulis as the eternal flame and watcher to guide us in life, in any decisions we need help making, and helping us to live in better balance with the seasons and cosmic law.

Bibliography:

Aldhouse-Green, M.J. (2018). Sacred Britannia : the gods and rituals of Roman Britain. London ; New York: Thames & Hudson.

Aldhouse-Green, M., 2004. Gallo-British deities and their shrines. A Companion to Roman Britain, pp.193-219.

Davenport, P. (2021). Roman Bath : a new history and archaeology of Aquae Sulis. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press.

Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise : Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Paris: Errance.

Koch, J.T. (2006). Celtic culture : a historical encyclopedia. Oxford: Abc-Clio.

McBurney, J., 2016. The Cult of Sulis-Minerva at Bath: The Religious Ritual of the Patron Goddess at Bath.

RIB 143, Altar Dedicated to Sulis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/143

RIB 144, Altar Dedicated to Sulis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/144 

RIB 145, Dedication to Sulis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/145 

RIB 146, Altar Dedicated to Sulis Minerva and the Divinities of the Emperors, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/146 

RIB 147, Altar Dedicated to Sulis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/147 

RIB 148, Altar Dedicated to Sulis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/148 

RIB 149, Altar Dedicated to Sulis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/149 

RIB 150, Altar Dedicated to Sulis Minerva, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/150 

RIB 155, Funerary inscription for Gaius Calpurnius Receptus, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/155 

RIB 3049, Dedication to Sulis, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/3049 

Gaius Iulius Solinus, the Polyhistor, translated by Arwen Apps, Gaius Iulius Solinus and his Polyhistor, (PhD diss., Macquarie University, 2011), https://topostext.org/work/747.