The story behind the Roman altar found at Malaga's Sagrario Church

The inscriptions on the Roman altar found during excavations in the Sagrario church in Malaga city allude to measures taken against fraud in the local market.

This was revealed by the Diocese of Malaga, in which it details the history of this altar. It has, so far, been said to date back to the 3rd century, and is linked to an offering made to the Roman goddess of health, by two councillors from Malaga, with the money obtained from the sale of fraudulent weights, confiscated from merchants.

This was the conclusion drawn from the first epigraphic study carried out on the Roman altar last September, in an excavation of the crypt of Sagrario, led by archaeologist Juan de Dios Ramírez.

Ángel Ventura, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Córdoba, shared his interpretation of the inscriptions after the altar's initial examination.

According to Ventura, "it is an altar, an altar, where sacrifices were made, offerings to divinities. It is made of stone, more specifically limestone from Sierra de Málaga, and it is easily recognised as an altar because of its 'pulvinos' at the crown, in which the stones symbolise the ancient bundles of firewood used in sacrifices.

According to this expert, "the piece dates back to the 2nd century, at the latest, the beginning of the 3rd century, but it was not in its proper place. It was moved onto a wall of a building, centuries later (3rd, 4th, 5th...) when it was already broken and no longer in use".

"As it is heavy, we assume that it must have come from somewhere relatively close by. Given that the inscription also says that it is dedicated to the Roman goddess of health, it makes sense to think that it might have something to do with the thermal baths that have been documented nearby, but also, from the inscription, it could be related to the "macellum", that is, the city's food market, which is also possible as it's near the port, and also near the thermal baths," he explained.

Additionally, the piece has other very interesting elements according to this professor from the University of Cordoba: "On its sides we can see some holes, which we have several examples of in Mérida, so that nails could be used as hooks to hang garlands, flower wreaths, plants, etc., as an offering to a deity".

Translated and contextualised by Professor Ventura, the inscription reads: "Altar for the (goddess) Health. Marcus Granius Victorinus and Quintus Valerius Valerianus, aediles, gave and dedicated (this altar) with the bronze (money) extracted from fraudulent weighing instruments (which they had seized and melted down)".

With regard to the worshippers, Marco Granius and Quintus Valerius, the archaeologist states that "they are two deputy mayors (councillors) of the Flavian Malacitan municipality, a post that was elected annually. Their names are not recorded in other documents, although the family of the "Granii" (surname Granius), the Granios, is known in Malaga. There are several mayors in Roman times who beared this surname and made donations. It was an important family in the city that belonged to the local aristocracy".

The councillors had authority over the wheat supply, maintenance of the streets and sacred buildings, the local police, but above all, the thermal baths and the markets.

"These "macella" were in charge of inspecting weights, measuring instruments, capacity, etc. to ensure that merchants did not commit fraud. Therefore, they also had the responsibility of confiscating measuring instruments that were tampered with and they melted them down", continued the professor.

What's also surprising is the use of the word bronze (aere) which can also mean money, because in ancient Rome money was made of bronze. "Could it be thought that the altar was paid for with the fines imposed on the merchants? Yes, it could be, but then they would have inscribed 'fines', because fine is a word we took directly from Latin," he said.

"When they put "ex aere", we have evidence in Roman legal literature that the measuring instruments that were confiscated had to be destroyed, melted down and, with that money, provided by the counterfeits ("iniquas"), is what they use to pay for the altar donated to the goddess Health. Therefore, it would also make sense that the altar would originally have been in the macellum, the place where they ensure that trade is fair and that there is no fraud," he added.

According to this expert, "in the empire there are four or five pieces similar to this one in which donations are made with fraudulent instruments. For example, in Philippi there are two like this one and they are in the macellum. This is therefore a very interesting piece that tells us about the city, about daily life, about fraud, about how Malaga was managed 1,800 years ago".

The excavation carried out is part of the Bishopric of Malaga project to implement measures to support the church of El Sagrario in order to prevent its rapid deterioration. Once the archaeological survey has been completed, the intention is to continue with the work as soon as possible so that this local religious heritage item can continue to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.