Jupiter Heliopolitanus V1 – 3D MODEL

Jupiter Heliopolitanus is a deity originating from Syria, revered as the local god of Heliopolis, which corresponds to modern-day Baʿlabakk, Lebanon. Throughout history, he has been referred to by various names, including Ba’al, Hadad, Helios, and Zeus. The Temple of Jupiter Heliopolitanus in Baalbek stands as an emblem of his worship and is recognized as the largest temple in the Roman Empire, serving as an oracular sanctuary. Its colossal columns, towering at 19.9 meters in height, surpass those of any other classical temple, with the apex of the pediment soaring an estimated 44 meters above the court floor. While only remnants remain today, visitors can still witness six columns standing proudly on the southern side of the temple. Depictions of Jupiter Heliopolitanus can also be found in a variety of forms, including coins, reliefs, figurines, and statues. Notably, The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses a statuette of Jupiter Heliopolitanus among its vast collection, which spans over 7,000 works dating from the eighth millennium BCE. to the seventh century CE. Jupiter Heliopolitanus is depicted in a variety of ways, including: Appearance, a beardless young man with vase-shaped hair, often decorated with grain ears, eagles, or sun discs; Clothing, a richly decorated, tight-fitting robe called an ependytes; Headwear, a basket-shaped hat called a kalathos, sometimes with bull’s horns; Accessories, a whip in his right hand, and grain ears in his left; Scepter, an eagle-tipped scepter in his right hand. Jupiter Heliopolitanus is the god of Heliopolis, also known as Baalbek, Lebanon. He is the lord of rain and thunder, a fertility god, an oracular god, and a supreme deity. He is also a sun god, and his temple in Baalbek was likely built over an earlier Phoenician temple. The temple was the largest in the Roman Empire and served as an oracle. The Latin grammarian Macrobius (4th century CE) left us the only known literary description of the image of Jupiter Heliopolitanus, the supreme deity of Baalbek: “The statue of the god is made of gold, depicting a beardless figure holding a charioteer’s whip in the right hand and lightning and wheat ears in the left.” Macrobius also states that this god possessed divinatory abilities and could announce prophecies. Indeed, the sanctuary of Baalbek also served as an oracle, whose fame spread throughout the empire. When Emperor Trajan passed through Syria to march against the Parthians, his companions advised him to consult the oracle of Baalbek (115 CE) to predict the outcome of the war. The god predicted the emperor Trajan that he would not return from his expedition against the Parthian Empire (Macrobius, Saturnalia 1.23.14). Trajan died two years later in August 117 CE, either on August 8 or 9, while sailing back to Rome from defending the empire’s borders. This is one of two known statements by the Baalbek oracle; the other is a decree about several columns, cut for Baalbek but apparently lost at sea near Berytus(Palatine Anthology 14.75). Macrobius informs us that during a session of the oracle, the statue was placed in a litter; the bearers sort of sensed the divine will and carried it in certain directions, which could be “decoded” by the priests(Macrobius, Saturnalia 1.23.13). A similar practice is known from the oracle of Ammon in Siwa in Egypt.