Today’s Object of the Week is a temple dedicated to a god beloved by Roman soldiers.
TODAY’S object is perhaps one of the lesser known Roman sites associated with Northumberland and Hadrian’s Wall – the Temple of Mithras.
There are a number of interesting Roman sites to visit in the vicinity of Hexham and a few miles north west of the town at Carrawburgh are the remains of the fort of Brocolitia.
Read more: This bastle was the home of a notorious hardman who decapitated a Scot
In 1949 an important Roman find was made here when the ruin of the Mithraeum – or temple to Mithras – was discovered.
Comprised of three inscribed altars dedicated to a god called Mithras by Roman officers, it is one of the best preserved in Britain:
Mithraism, the disciplined worship of the Persian god of life, was encouraged by the Roman army and involved secret initiation ceremonies.
It was strongly opposed by Christians in later centuries and Christians were possibly responsible for the eventual destruction of the temple at Carrawbrough.
Legend has it that Mithras captured and killed a sacred bull in a cave, which Mithraic temples were intended to evoke.
According to English Heritage, the temple was probably built by soldiers at the fort around AD 200 and destroyed about AD 350.
The three altars were dedicated by commanding officers of the unit stationed here, the First Cohort of Batavians from the Rhineland.
The altars in the Temple of Mithras are replicas.
The original are in a full sized reconstruction of the interior of the Carrawburgh Mithraeum on display at The Great North Museum in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Carrawburgh Roman Fort is one of 16 forts along the 73-mile long Hadrian’s Wall.
It housed a garrison of about 500 soldiers – first from South West France, later from Southern Belgium – responsible for defending the frontier of the Roman Empire from the tribes to the north.
Occupying a slight terrace of 1.4ha with views over the Northumberland National Park, Carrawburgh sits between the Roman cavalry fort at Chesters and the infantry outpost at Housesteads.
The fort’s surviving structures – including the remains of its walls – lie below the turf cover.
In comparison with other sites on Hadrian’s Wall, the fort has undergone very little archaeological investigation and so many of its stories remain untold.
Legal ownership of the fort and temple transferred to Historic England, the Government’s heritage advisor, last year – its first acquisition since it became a charity in 2015.
It was gifted to the nation by Jennifer Du Cane, whose family had cared for the site since 1950.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel