Bronze figurines of Mercury-Thoth from Albania

Along with other aspects of society, Illyrian religion was influenced by the Roman world during the first centuries AD. As a result, Mercury became the Roman god most represented in bronze figurines found within the modern territory of Albania. This paper will consider two bronze figurines of Mercury-Thoth which represents a god with both eastern and western attributes. The figurines are of a good quality and analogies can be found with numerous others throughout the Roman Empire. Their presence in Albania can be explained not only by the eastern influence of the empire, but also with the transfer of people and ideas. Both figurines were found near main roads passing through Illyria during the Roman period, the Via Lissus-Naissus and Via Egnatia, which testify for the development of commerce, movement of people, ideas and systems. The figurines also provide an insight into Illyrian religious life during the Roman period and illustrate their adoption of interpretatio romana and eastern gods.