A new Serapis ring from Pannonia

Abstract

The Hungarian National Museum came into possession of a Roman copper alloy ring, found in northeastern Pannonia, bearing the image of Serapis among various animals, forming a unique iconographical scene. Some elements of the scene can be possibly interpreted in an astrological context. The ring can be dated to the 2nd–3rd c. AD, and it is most certainly belonging to a distinct group of archaeological monuments, well-known from northeastern Pannonia, attesting the Severan cult of Deus Invictus Serapis in this area.