Cocidius
Cocidius is located predominately in the sector of Hadrian’s Wall. There are numerous dedications along the Wall to him and a number at Bewcastle Roman fort. Cocidius is another native deity associated with Mars though he does have equations with Silvanus, a forest deity. Cocidius’ name has been taken to mean “the red one”.
Fifteen of the altars have military dedicators with eight from legionaries and seven from auxiliaries. There are also the two silver plagues from the sacellum at Bewcastle. It seems that Cocidius was a frontier deity judging from the finds spots along Hadrian’s Wall and his lack of support in the hinterland of Roman Britain. There are also the depictions of Cocidius from Maryport showing the deity as a horned god armed with a spear and shield. At Birdoswald there is an altar of Cocidius reused to make a dedication to IOM by cohors I Aelia Dacorum (RIB 1885). There is the altar from Bewcastle dedicated by Quintus Peltrasius Maximus for his promotion (RIB 989).
It would seem that Cocidius wore many hats some of which related him to hunting when he is equated with Silvanus at Housesteads (RIB 1578) or to martial experience when he is equated with Mars near milecastle 59 by a centurion of cohors I Batavorum (RIB 2015).
