The relief was found in a second use in a tomb excavated in 1962 on the site of the then under-construction Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. When it was recorded in the index of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, it was given the number MΘ 3056.
It depicts the Celtic goddess Epona, patroness of horsemen, horses and stables, seated on a throne between two pairs of horses facing her. The goddess wears a chiton belted under the breast and a himation that is draped up to cover her head at the back. She wears a wreath of two rows of leaves, probably laurel.
The horses appear to tread on rocky ground and are depicted at different levels: the front horses on a high relief with a pronounced stride of the legs, while the back horses stand one level higher and are depicted on a low relief. In the background of the relief, incised shaped trees, perhaps cypresses, are depicted. The different levels of carving intensify the sense of depth and, combined with the wide projecting frame defining the three sides, the impression is that the representation is in a niche.
The treatment of the figures with the use of a drill creates an intense light shading that is characteristic of art in the era of the Tetrarchy, as the system of government established by Diocletian in 293 AD is known, dividing the Roman Empire into an eastern and a western part, each headed by an Augustus and a Caesar. During the period of the Tetrarchy (until 324 AD), the eastern part was ruled by Diocletian as Augustus and Galerius as Caesar (until 305 and later he himself was anointed Augustus), and the western part by Maximian and Constantine I Chlorus respectively. Galerius set Thessalonica as the capital of the eastern part, where he built his palace, which is partially preserved in the centre of the contemporary city. It is believed that he entered the cult of Epona to the city, who was considered the patroness of the Roman cavalry. It is probable that the relief, at the time of its original use, was placed on a building of the palace complex of Galerius, possibly on the Hippodrome. Moreover, the quality of the relief and its stylistic features are in common with other sculptures found in the Galerius palace complex and must have been created by a large highly specialized workshop that would have existed in the city.
The relief is the only evidence to date of the presence of this Celtic goddess in Macedonia and in Greece in general.
Thessaloniki, 300-325 AD.
You can see the relief in the museum's permanent exhibition "Thessaloniki, Metropolis of Macedonia", as well as in the digital applications of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki "e-Skapani" and "The Museum On the Go".
