Art that Speaks: The Pillar of the Boatmen

"Shall we begin?" spoke Dagomarus.

The other men nodded and quieted down. The lot of them had gathered in the basilica of the forum of Lutetia Parisiorum to discuss an important matter.

Dagomarus continued, "As men of trade and sail, I am glad you could join me here today. I do not expect this meeting of the guild to take long, but it is nonetheless prudent that we discuss a certain matter. Since the Romans came over two generations ago, they have brought their own gods to our lands. They built their roads and stone places. They have even constructed temples in the sanctuaries of our ancestors and in the lands of many tribes. As a merchant man myself, I realize that the future is Roman, and that with the new emperor Tiberius Augustus ruling down south, Roman administration is only going to get stronger. Axrotalus, when we met at my domus yesterday, brought an interesting idea to me. Axrotalus, if you would take the floor."

The group remained silent as Dagomarus stepped back into the crowd and Axrotalus stepped forward, adjusting his toga on his shoulder, and cleared his throat.

He spoke, "My friends, I know many of us here worship the new gods. My own mother is from Gallia Cisalpina and she insists on keeping a shrine to her Lares in our home. Half my family attends rites in the new temples and half keep to the old ways of our kin. Many of us pray to Lugos in commerce, just as we do Mercury -even though the Romans insist they are one in the same. We pray to Esus and Smertrios just as we do Mars. Castor and Pollux help us just the same as our spirits. Beyond this, we only have more similarities to mention. As I discussed with with Dagomarus, the future may be Roman, but we should honor the gods of our grandfathers just the same. So, I have a proposition for the guild. Along the left bank of the river Sequana, private citizens and various associations have been dedicating monuments to the Emperor and Jupiter, the greatest and excellent. Let us sponsor our own monument with depictions of both our gods."

The guild members nodded their heads in approval.

On stepped forward and raised his voice, "A fine suggestion. That way, all passersby know that the boatmen of the Sequana love not only their fathers, but also the empire!"

"Yes," said Dagomarus, "they will know and remember for as long as it stands."

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"Look at all these stones, Bero! Do you think some would be suitable?"

"They would have to be broken up, first; but are you sure you want to use these?" Marcus said.

"What? They're just old dedications," said Bero, "at most a couple centuries old. They're due to be replaced, anyway."

"They have heathen names," Marcus said.

"Let me guess, still seeing that priest that just moved to town?" Bero said, teasing his friend.

Marcus glared seriously at him.

"Sorry, friend, I couldn't resist. Christianity is legal now, that's a development. But anyhow, that's neither here nor there! We need something to fill the foundation of that wall we're building across the river. Spirits or no, this stone will do just as well as any."

Marcus sighed, "No, no, you're right. It might actually do well to tear it down and make it into something useful... Are you going to finally come to mass with me, Bero? You are a good soul, it would do you some good in return!"

"Sorry again," he said, "my father-in-law invited me for the afternoon meal that day, you know how it is. Besides, my family gods have served me well enough. I will, however, consent to enjoying some wine with you this evening once we are done with these stones."

Marcus relented, "Alright, fair enough my friend, but the Lord did wonders for me, let me tell you!"

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While the previous stories are fiction, they are inspired by the story of a precious Parisian monument, the Pillar of the Boatmen. The top image is a 3D reconstruction of the object using the surviving fragments as a guide. The surviving fragments of the monument are displayed in the Musée de Cluny in Paris, France. It was originally found as part of the foundation for a Late Antique wall excavated in the 18th century under the Notre Dame Cathedral.

The Pillar bears the following fragmentary dedication: "Tib[erio] caesare, aug[usto] iovi optumo, maxsumo, nautae parisiaci, publice posierun[t]"

In English: "Under [the reign of] Tiberius Caesar Augustus, to Jupiter (or alternatively 'to Tiberius Caesar Augustus and Jupiter) the excellent, the greatest, the boatmen of the territory of the Parisii built this monument at their common expense..."

This monument is one of the rare examples of syncretism, or the adoption of religious beliefs in diverse religious frameworks. Here, both Celtic and Roman gods and figures are shown being observed by the boatmen of the Parisii. The surviving images and dedications allow us to identify the dedications of Jupiter, Cernunnos (the only known textual dedication to him), Fortuna, Juno, Smertrios, Esus, Castor and Pollux, the tarvos trigaranus (a bull with three cranes on his head), Vulcan, and potentially the pairs Mars and Venus and Mercury and Rosmerta. As is observed by many historians and archaeologists, the Romans continued native religious practices by absorbing them into Roman religious life.

Then, as with many monuments in Late Antiquity and the Early Medieval periods, the Pillar of the Boatmen was demolished. This was likely not for religious reasons, but to simply recycle the stone. This is not to say that pagan monuments were not destroyed, but that this is a different process altogether. Reuse is a common trend throughout history. While it is ultimately tragic for our understanding of past cultures, it only adds to the story that objects and buildings undergo throughout their long lives.

Thank you for reading one of my first articles in appreciation of art history, cultural history, and one of my favorite Gallo-Roman monuments.

If you would like to look further into the Pillar of the Boatmen or Paris during the Gallo-Roman period, might I suggest:

The Musée de Cluny webpage on the Pillar of the Boatmen

The Paris Antique website run in association with the Ministère de la Culture and the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale

**(the page on the pillar on the aforementioned website is here)