Anextlomarus
Ancient Celtic deity
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Anextlomarus or Anextiomarus (Gaulish: Anextlomāros, 'Great Protector') is an ancient Celtic deity. On an inscription from Arbeia (modern South Shields, England), he appears as epithet of the Roman god Apollo. A feminine form of the name, Anextlomara, is attested in a Gallo-Roman dedication from Aventicum (now Avenches, Switzerland). He probably also appears in incomplete form in a fragmentary dedication found near Le Mans, France.
Name
The Gaulish theonym Anextlomāros has been interpreted as 'great protector',[1] 'of great protection',[2] or '(he who is) great in protection'.[3] It is a compound formed with the noun anextlo- ('protection'; cf. Old Irish anacul '[act of] protecting) attached to māros ('great').[3][2][4] The feminine form Anextlomarā, attested in Aventicum (modern Avenches), is translated as 'Great Protectress'.[5]
Anextlomarus is also attested as a personal name at Langres.[6]
Attestations
South Shields
The god is equated with Apollo on an inscription on a bronze bowl from Arbeia (modern South Shields).[7] According to Helmut Birkhan, the reading Anextiomarus may be incorrect and amended to Anextlomarus.[8]
Le Mans
His name is thought to survive in incomplete form in an inscription found near Le Mans, in the territory of the Aulerci Cenomani.[1]
| Inscription | Reference |
|---|---|
| [—] I. ANEX / [—] EIVS DEI / [— ornam] ENTIS. D | CIL XIII 3190 |
Avanches
The feminine form Anextlomara occurs in an inscription from Aventicum (now Avenches in Switzerland), dated to the 1st–3rd centuries AD.[6]
The name of the man who commissioned this dedication, Publicius, makes it possible to determine his social status as a freed public slave serving Roman municipalities and colonies. His cognomen, Aunus, indicates a Celtic origin.[6] Augustus is to be understood here as the generic title of the reigning emperor. This double dedication suggests an intention to associate the imperial cult with a local, indigenous religious tradition. The spelling of the divine name (AneXtlomara), with an oversized X corresponding to the Greek letter chi, reflects indigenous epigraphic practices predating Roman conquest.[6]
| Inscription | Translation | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| AneXtlomarae / et Aug(usto) / Public(ius) Aunus | To Anextlomara and to the Emperor. Publicius Aunus (erected this monument)[6] | H. Finke, Nachtrag zu CIL XIII, in B.R.G.K., 17, 1927, n. 94 |