Shrine of Medaurus

Depicted as a warrior on horseback carrying a lance, Medaurus was the protector of the town of Rhizion. Located on the Bay of Kotor in present day Montenegro, this Illyrian settlement went on to become a Roman city. During the Illyrian Wars Rhizion was the capital of Queen Teuta’s empire - it was to here that she fled when Demetrius turned his coat and became a ‘friend of Rome'. Despite being known as the protector of Rhizion, no evidence of Medaurus' worship has been found there. In fact, the only reference to him was a dedication within the temple of Asclepius in the ruins of Lambaesis in Roman North Africa. This dedication was made, not by an Illyrian, but by a Roman senator, so it is likely the Romans considered Medaurus' protectoral qualities to be the equivalent of Asclepius' healing nature. The inscription beseeched the god to watch over the temple despite its distance from his homeland, something keenly felt by the Roman garrison stationed nearby.