A bronze statuette of the Héros Horseman (Thracian Rider) discovered near Tomis (Palazu Mare), Moesia Inferior

Abstract

This paper presents and analyses a bronze statuette of the Thracian Rider (‘Ήρως) discovered in 2019 at Palazu Mare, near ancient Tomis (Moesia Inferior). The artifact, dated to the 3rd century AD, was found in a Roman vicus and provides valuable insights into the persistence of Thracian religious traditions within the Roman provincial environment. Compositional XRF analysis identified its material as tin bronze, an alloy typical of small ritual objects. Stylistically, the statuette exemplifies the syncretic fusion between local Thracian beliefs and Greco–Roman artistic conventions. Comparative evidence from the Balkans situates the find within a broader iconographic corpus associated with the cult of the Thracian Horseman—a chthonic, protective, and mediatory deity symbolizing fertility, renewal, and the afterlife. The study underscores the statuette’s significance as both a votive artifact and a marker of cultural continuity, illustrating the adaptation of indigenous hero worship within the Roman Empire’s socio-religious framework.