A vessel depicting a two-headed snake has been found in a Roman villa — it may be linked to a mysterious cult

Archaeologists have examined some unusual fragments of a ceramic vessel from the Roman villa of Collet in north-eastern Spain. Its handle depicted a snake with a head at each end, whilst the surface was carved with semi-circular notches imitating scales.

The authors of the new study believe that the vessel may be linked to the cult of Sabazius — a Thracian-Phrygian deity whose worship spread throughout the Roman Empire, but is rarely documented on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the researchers emphasise that vessels featuring snakes were also found in other religious traditions, so the link to Sabazius is based primarily on the archaeological context.

Details

The fragments come from the Roman villa of Collet, situated above the Bay of Palamós in present-day Catalonia, approximately 40 km from the ancient city of Emporia – now known as Empúries. Part of the rim of a large vessel and a handle have survived. According to the reconstruction, the vessel’s diameter was approximately 23 cm, whilst the length of the fragment under study was approximately 16 cm.

The handle features two stylised snake heads and incisions resembling scales. The authors believe that the vessel had a significance that went beyond that of ordinary household tableware.

Based on the strata in which the fragments were found and on the accompanying pottery, the researchers dated them to the reign of Emperor Augustus – approximately 27 BC to 14 AD. By this time, the vessel had already been broken and ended up in a layer associated with the villa’s service area; it may therefore have been produced during this period or slightly earlier.

Mineralogical analysis did not allow the place of manufacture to be reliably determined. The composition of the ceramic body is consistent with local production, but differs from the pottery made in neighbouring workshops. Certain features, including a possible white coating, led the authors to suggest a North African origin, but they explicitly state that this conclusion is preliminary.

The main mystery concerns the vessel’s purpose. The snake was a characteristic symbol of the cult of Sabazius, but similar vessels are also known from the cult of Mithras, domestic religious practices and other ritual contexts. Therefore, the snakes themselves do not allow the find to be unequivocally identified as an object of the cult of Sabazius.

Another factor supports this interpretation: nearby, in ancient Emporia, a bronze folding triptych depicting Sabazius himself and symbols of his cult was previously discovered. It is dated to approximately the same period. Other vessels featuring depictions of snakes, lizards and toads are also known from the north-east of Iberia.

Why this is important

Sabazius originated from the Thracian-Phrygian religious tradition and, in Roman times, was worshipped by relatively small groups. Archaeological evidence of this cult on the Iberian Peninsula is scarce.

If the authors’ interpretation is correct, the vessel from Collet shows that the cult extended not only to major cities but also to rural villas. Researchers suggest that the religious practice may have spread from Emporium to the surrounding settlements and existed in the form of a private domestic cult.

One hypothesis even suggests the activity of an itinerant priest of Sabazius, who may have arrived in Emporium from the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. However, this is merely a reconstruction of a possible scenario: there is no direct evidence of the existence of such a specific priest.

The find is of particular interest as evidence of just how far small religious networks could extend within the Roman Empire. At the same time, the authors take care to distinguish the artefact itself from its interpretation: the vessel’s connection with Sabazius is probable based on a combination of features, but is not proven by the shape of the handle alone.

Source

Study: “Of snakes and gods: early evidence for the cult of Sabazios in the Roman villa of Collet”. Authors: Marc Bouzas Sabater, Josep Burch Rius, Elisabet Moner Coll, Carles Roqué Pau and David Vivo Codina. Antiquity, 2026. Published on 26 August 2026.