Last weekend, a book was presented in the Culture Center of the City of Novalja "Calpurnia and the Egyptian gods in Caska on the island of Pag". The book, dedicated to the most important inhabitant of ancient Caska, exposes the forbidden through the latest finds worship of Egyptian gods and casts a new light on the fascinating plots of the life of a rich Roman senator of the Kalpurni family.
Caska Bay, not far from Novalja, is today known for its sandy beach, which is adorned by the clear sea, but also for its rich archaeological sites that point to thousand-year history of that end. Many bathers who visit this beach every day are probably not even aware that the seabed hides the remains of antiquity covered with sand deposits.
A short walk through this small settlement provides an insight into numerous archaeological sites which bear witness to a turbulent past. One of the more interesting pages of history is the one about the property of the rich Roman family of Calpurnius Piso, whose members held numerous high positions in the Roman Empire. Emperor Octavian August himself granted them a country estate in Caska because of their merits and family ties. Therefore, we can say how Kalpurnia is one of the most important inhabitants of the island of Pag not only of his time but also today.
WHO WAS CALPURNIA PISON?
Her life story is fascinating and relevant not only for local and regional, but also for world history. Her uncle, Gnaeus Piso, was appointed Syrian legate of the future emperor Germanicus. He was accused of the death of Germanicus (which, it is assumed, was ordered by Emperor Tiberius himself) and killed himself before the final verdict. Calpurnia's father, Lucius Piso the Augur, was accused of insulting the emperor Tiberius in the year 24, but he died (he most likely killed himself) before the verdict was pronounced. All three were defiant and proud in character.
Emperor Tiberius had banned Egyptian and Jewish rites in the Roman Empire. Calpurnia, retiring to the estate in Caska, erected four altars dedicated to the Egyptian gods, which she allows to carve dedications in spite of her hated emperor. The size of the altar clearly proves that they were the inventory of the temple on Calpurnia's estate. The people of the entire island gathered there when there were festivals of the Egyptian gods, and from there their cult spread throughout the region and was later witnessed in Senj, Zadar, and Nin.
Calpurnia's altars bear the sophisticated dedications of the Roman matron to the Egyptian gods, which shed a whole new light on the history of Egyptian cults in the Roman world: she invokes Isis, Serapis, Osiris and Anubis, which is the only such dedication recorded so far. It gives the gods attributes that have been witnessed for the first time or have not been seen elsewhere. It is clear from these dedications that an important reason for her worship of the Egyptian gods is the desire that her uncle and father rest happily in the other world and that their unjust death be punished by the Egyptian gods. Unfortunately, two altars were lost, one is located on the property of Jurjo Palčić in Caska, and the fourth and most representative one is in Novalja City Museum.
HOW DID THE BOOK COME ABOUT?
The reason for the creation of the book is precisely the discovery of Calpurnia's fourth altar in 2020. Its text is perfectly legible and made it possible to understand that the other three were also dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis and the gods of her circle.
- The authors of this book only met once in person, in Caska in 2021, when they came to see two preserved altars and transcribe and translate their texts. We spent the whole day with them and at the end, upon returning home, we heard on the radio that on that day the Egyptian ibis visited Croatia for the first time in 200 years. she told us enthusiastically Dr. Inga Vilogorac Brčić research leader explaining that Ibis is a symbol of the god Thoth, god of wisdom, knowledge and scribe. - We immediately established that it was sent by Kalpurnija herself and that we should perpetuate her story with letters, words and knowledge, he concludes.
Nikola Cesarik and David Štrmelj wrote chapters about the mystery of Calpurnia's altars and the historical and political context in which Calpurnia and her family lived, Maja Grisonic wrote about Caska as an archaeological site, and I about Calpurnia and the Egyptian gods. They also attached to the text a poem by the late Zdenko Brusić, which he dedicated to Kalpurnia.
The book is dedicated to all residents and visitors of the island of Pag and to all researchers of Pag's rich past, on the occasion of commemorating the 2000th anniversary of his death. Lucius Calpurnius Piso the augur, Calpurnia's father.
