EUROPA - Bronze Apollo statuette

EUROPA – National Archaeological Discoveries

Bronze Apollo statuette

This 11.5 cm high statuette was found in the river Ljubljanica near the village of Blatna Brezovica. It depicts a naked male figure with a hairstyle typical of Classical/Hellenistic depictions of the Greek and Roman god Apollo. The collar, however, does not match traditional depictions of Apollo and is a distinctly Celtic element. The pose of the body and the position of the arms are reminiscent of Italo-Etruscan statuettes.

This statuette is assumed to have been made in north-eastern Italy or its eastern hinterland, including the wider surrounding area of the site where it was found. It was probably made during the period of the Romanisation of the Vrhnika and Ljubljana areas in the middle or second half of the first century BC. It represents a non-Roman deity who, under the influence of Roman culture, was identified with Apollo. This deity could be the god Belenus, whose cult extended across north-eastern Italy and the region known as Noricum (mainly in present-day Austria), and who was of pre-Roman origin. There are no known depictions of Belenus – with the possible exception of this statuette from the Ljubljanica – but he is known of from Roman-era inscriptions, in which he is referred to as Apollon Belenus.

The statuette is thought to have been thrown into the river as a votive offering.

Janka Istenič,

National Museum of Slovenia