Roads, mountain passes, quarries - Valais (Wallis) - Great Saint Bernard Pass

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Roads, mountain passes, quarries - Valais (Wallis) - Great Saint Bernard Pass - The votive tablets

Introduction
The buildings
The votive tablets
Other votive gifts

On the plateau, scattered over the entire area, 50 inscribed votive tablets were found: 49 bronze tabulae ansatae and one silver tabula ansata. The tablets are between 0.045 and 0.245 long. Similar inscriptions are on a silver leaf and on the bronze base of a statuette.

Bronze tablet dedicated to Poeninus (Poenino sacrum) by Publius Blattius Creticus.
W. 0.063, h. 0.025. EDCS-05400112. Photo: British Museum.

The tablets were dedications to Jupiter Optimus Maximus Poeninus. Many were dedicated by individual military men: officers, soldiers and veterans. One dedication was made by a mango, a slavedealer, another by a tabellarius, a courier. Sometimes the residence of the dedicant was recorded, often in France. A few tablets mention the reason for the dedication: pro itu et reditu, "for a safe journey and return", and pro salute, "for being safe and sound". The inscriptions typically end with v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito), "fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly" or ex voto, "in fulfillment of a vow".

C(aius) IVL(ius) RVFVS POENINO V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)
AT TVA TEMPLA LYBENS VOTA SVSCEPTA PERECI
ACCEPTA VT TIBI SINT NVMEN ADORO TVVM
INPENSIS NON MACNA QVIDEM TE SANCTE PRECAMVR
MAIOREM SACVLO NOSTRVM ANINVM ACCIPIAS Caius Julius Rufus to Poeninus fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.
In your temple I gladly completed the vows I had made.
So that you accept them I worship your divine power.
Certainly they are modest in spending, but we beg you, holy one,
to accept our intention, which is greater than our small purse.

Bronze tablet dedicated by Caius Iulius Rufus.
W. 0.146, h. 0.049. Errors in the Latin not corrected. EDCS-05400122. Photo: Walser 1984, 102.

I(ovi) O(ptimo) M(aximo) POENI
NO PRO SALVTE
HELI ET SVORVM
APRICLVS EIVS
DEDIT DONVM
VOTO S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)

To Jupiter Optimus Maximus Poeninus,
for the safety
of Helius and his people,
Apriclus, his slave,
donated.
He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.

Bronze tablet dedicated by Apriclus.
W. 0.104, h. 0.05. EDCS-05400111. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 97 fig. 1.

I(ovi) O(ptimo) M(aximo) POENINO
C(aius) DOMITIVS
CARASSOVNVS
HEL(vetius) MANGO
V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)

To Jupiter Optimus Maximus Poeninus,
Caius Domitius
Carassounus,
Helvetian, slavedealer.
He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.

Bronze tablet dedicated by Caius Domitius Carassounus.
W. 0.245, h. 0.145. EDCS-06700025. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 98 fig. 5.

POENINO
PRO ITV ET REDITV
C(aius) IVLIVS PRIMVS
V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)

To Poeninus,
for a safe journey and return,
Caius Iulius Primus.
He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.

Bronze tablet dedicated by Caius Iulius Primus.
W. 0.106, h. 0.055. EDCS-05400121. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 99 fig. 8.

PHOEBVS FVSCI
TI(beri) CAESARIS
POENINO V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)

Phoebus, slave of Fuscus,
slave of Tiberius Caesar,
to Poeninus. He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.

Bronze tablet dedicated by Phoebus.
W. 0.143, h. 0.078. EDCS-05400130. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 100 fig. 12.

NVMINIB(us) AVG(ustorum)
IOVI POENINO
SABINEIIVS CENSOR
AMBIANVS
V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)

To the divine power of the Emperors,
to Jupiter Poeninus,
Sabineiius Censor,
from Amiens.
He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.

Bronze tablet dedicated by Sabineiius Censor.
W. 0.157, h. 0.09. EDCS-05400131. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 101 fig. 14.

IOVI POENINO
Q(uintus) SILVIVS PEREN
NIS TABELL(arius) COLON(iae)
SEQVANOR(um)
V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)

To Jupiter Poeninus,
Quintus Silvius Perennis
courier of
Besançon.
He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.

Bronze tablet dedicated by Quintus Silvius Perennis.
W. 0.102, h. 0.066. EDCS-05400133. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 101 fig. 15.

IOVI PY
NINO E
X VOTO
G I P
V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) L(aetus)

To Jupiter
Poeninus,
after a vow,
G I P.
He fulfilled his vow gladly, happily.

Silver leaf dedicated by G I P.
W. 0.063, h. 0.21. EDCS-06700040. Photo: Walser 1983(2), Abb. 1.

Introduction
The buildings
The votive tablets
Other votive gifts

[10-Feb-2024]


C(aius) IVL(ius) RVFVS POENINO V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito) AT TVA TEMPLA LYBENS VOTA SVSCEPTA PERECI ACCEPTA VT TIBI SINT NVMEN ADORO TVVM INPENSIS NON MACNA QVIDEM TE SANCTE PRECAMVR MAIOREM SACVLO NOSTRVM ANINVM ACCIPIAS	Caius Julius Rufus to Poeninus fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly. In your temple I gladly completed the vows I had made. So that you accept them I worship your divine power. Certainly they are modest in spending, but we beg you, holy one, to accept our intention, which is greater than our small purse.
Bronze tablet dedicated by Caius Iulius Rufus. W. 0.146, h. 0.049. Errors in the Latin not corrected. EDCS-05400122. Photo: Walser 1984, 102.

	I(ovi) O(ptimo) M(aximo) POENI NO PRO SALVTE HELI ET SVORVM APRICLVS EIVS DEDIT DONVM VOTO S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)
	To Jupiter Optimus Maximus Poeninus, for the safety of Helius and his people, Apriclus, his slave, donated. He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.
Bronze tablet dedicated by Apriclus. W. 0.104, h. 0.05. EDCS-05400111. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 97 fig. 1.

	I(ovi) O(ptimo) M(aximo) POENINO C(aius) DOMITIVS CARASSOVNVS HEL(vetius) MANGO V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)
	To Jupiter Optimus Maximus Poeninus, Caius Domitius Carassounus, Helvetian, slavedealer. He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.
Bronze tablet dedicated by Caius Domitius Carassounus. W. 0.245, h. 0.145. EDCS-06700025. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 98 fig. 5.

	POENINO PRO ITV ET REDITV C(aius) IVLIVS PRIMVS V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)
	To Poeninus, for a safe journey and return, Caius Iulius Primus. He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.
Bronze tablet dedicated by Caius Iulius Primus. W. 0.106, h. 0.055. EDCS-05400121. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 99 fig. 8.

	PHOEBVS FVSCI TI(beri) CAESARIS POENINO V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)
	Phoebus, slave of Fuscus, slave of Tiberius Caesar, to Poeninus. He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.
Bronze tablet dedicated by Phoebus. W. 0.143, h. 0.078. EDCS-05400130. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 100 fig. 12.

	NVMINIB(us) AVG(ustorum) IOVI POENINO SABINEIIVS CENSOR AMBIANVS V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)
	To the divine power of the Emperors, to Jupiter Poeninus, Sabineiius Censor, from Amiens. He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.
Bronze tablet dedicated by Sabineiius Censor. W. 0.157, h. 0.09. EDCS-05400131. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 101 fig. 14.

	IOVI POENINO Q(uintus) SILVIVS PEREN NIS TABELL(arius) COLON(iae) SEQVANOR(um) V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito)
	To Jupiter Poeninus, Quintus Silvius Perennis courier of Besançon. He fulfilled his vow gladly, deservedly.
Bronze tablet dedicated by Quintus Silvius Perennis. W. 0.102, h. 0.066. EDCS-05400133. Photo: Appolonia et al. 2008, 101 fig. 15.

	IOVI PY NINO E X VOTO G I P V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) L(aetus) To Jupiter Poeninus, after a vow, G I P. He fulfilled his vow gladly, happily.
Silver leaf dedicated by G I P. W. 0.063, h. 0.21. EDCS-06700040. Photo: Walser 1983(2), Abb. 1.