Дионисополският храм на понтийската майка на боговете
The Dionysopolis Temple of the Pontic Mother of the Gods

Summary/Abstract: The text examines the discovered in 2007 in Balchik antique temple of the Pontic Mother of the Gods (Kibela). As a result of excavations a well preserved temple was discovered, containing a pronaos and naos, which are parallel to some temples in the Greek polices on the Western and Northern Black Sea coast. The characteristics of the architectural decorations, the technique of construction and the construction ceramics allow the authors to date it most possibly at the period 280-260 BC. Numerous marble statues, statuettes and reliefs were discovered in the temple and most of them show Kibela sitting on a throne. Some of them present a lion lying in her lap. The main temple statue represents the goddess again sitting on a throne, in her right hand holding a phiale, in the left hand holding a scepter, while the lion is a relief image depicted on the right side of the throne. Many unbroken and fragmentized inscriptions were found which offer exceptionally important information about the religious and social life in Dionysopolis - Hellenistic decrees, a priest list from the 3rd century, inscriptions of dedication on cult objects, etc. This is the biggest group of movable monuments, connected with the cult of the Mother of the Gods as far as numbers and diversity is concerned, ever discovered in a temple.

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