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Rudchester Mithraeum
Rudchester Mithraeum is a Roman Temple to the Roman god Mithras at Rudchester (Vindobala), an auxiliary fort on Hadrian's Wall, the northern frontier of Roman Britain. The temple (known as a mithraeum) was located 137m to the west of the castra.
Discovery
The site of the shrine was first discovered in 1844 when the local farmer uncovered a statue and five altars in his field. The statue was broken up (and subsequently lost); however, the altars were all saved. The five altars were: 1) DEO /L SENTIUS / CASTUS / (centurio) LEG VI D(ono) P(osuit).[1] To the god. Lucius Sentius Castus, centurion of the 6th legion gave this. 2) DEO INVICTO / MYTRAE P(ublius) AEL(ius) / TITULLUS PRAE(fectus) / V(otum) S(olvit) L(aetus) L(ibens) M(erito).[2] To the invincible god Mithras, Publius Aelius Titullus, prefect, gladly, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow. 3) DEO SOLI INVIC(to) / TIB(iberius) CL(audius) DECIMUS / CORNEL(ius) ANTO/NIUS PRAEF(ectus) / TEMPLE(um) RESTIT(uit).[3] To the Invincible Sun. Tiberius Claudius Decimus Cornelius Antonius, Prefect, restored the temple. 4) SOLI / APOLLINI / ANICETO / [Mithrae] APON[I]US ROGAT[I]ANUS [PRAEF(ectus) V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito ?][4] 5) No inscription. The location of the discovery was marked on contemporaneous maps, enabling the archaeologist J.P. Gilliam to relocate the shrine and excavate it in 1953.[5]
Rudchester Mithraeum Gilliam found two heads of Cautes and Cautopates and speculated that this was the result of a deliberate decapitation of the statues. The lack of any trace of the tauroctony was also used to argue for a deliberate desecration of the shrine; however, in the absence of any single fragment of it and without knowing what the statue smashed in 1844 was of, it is hard to say for sure. Certainly pottery evidence spread over the temple shows that it was out of use by the mid-fourth century. All the finds and altars were placed in the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, although they are in the process of being moved to the new Museum of the North.
References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] RIB 1394. CIMRM 840 (http:/ / www. roger-pearse. com/ mithras/ display. php?page=cimrm840). RIB 1395 RIB 1396 RIB 1397. CIMRM 842 (http:/ / www. roger-pearse. com/ mithras/ display. php?page=cimrm842). JP Gilliam, I MacIvor & E Birley. 1954. 'The Temple of Mithras at Rudchester'. Archaeologia Aeliana (4th series) XXXII, 176-219
Further reading
Daniels, C. 1989. Mithras and his Temples on the Wall pp1619. Gilliam, J.P., MacIvor, I & Birley, E. 1954. 'The Temple of Mithras at Rudchester'. Archaeologia Aeliana (4th series) XXXII, 176-219
External links
Roman-Britain website (http://www.roman-britain.org/places/vindobala.htm/)
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/