CIMRM Supplement - Two altars, of Cautes and Cautopates. Nr. Cacovec, Croatia
Two altars were recovered in 1997 from an artificial lake in Northern Croatia. One was dedicated to Cautes, one to Cautopates. It is likely that they were being used as ballast when they entered the lake.
The two altars are now in the Museum of Medimurje, Cakovec.
Concerning the finds from the Drava, we could also notice the two recently published marble altars with inscriptions and figural representations of the two torchbearers of Mithras, Cautes (Fig. 1) and Cautopates (Fig. 2) that were not discovered in the riverbed itself but in a nearby artificial lake south-east of Cakovec in the Medimurje region. It is possible to suggest that they were part of a cargo transported by the Drava towards some important urban centre, perhaps even Mursa. The transport was obviously conducted by the river that, judging by a number of indications, has changed its course in this part of the Medimurje over time. Thus, there are good reasons for believing that the cargo ended up in the river or somewhere in its vicinity under some unknown circumstances, most probably at the exact location of the find of these altars.[12]
Bibliography
- Ante Rendic-Miocevic, "Marble altars of Cautes and Cautopates from the surroundings of Cakovec in Northwest Croatia", in: Roma y las provincias: modelo y difusion, El XI Coloquio Internacional de Arte Romano Provincial, Merida, Spain (2009).
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