| Summary : The site of a Mithraeum, excavated in 1953 at Rudchester. It was built in the early third century AD over an earlier, unidentified stone structure apparently of Antonine date. Rebuilding took place towards the end of the century, and the new temple, identical in plan with the first except for the narthex, incorporated two centurial stones from the Vallum, one inscribed 7 iv.v. It was short-lived, and was probably finally desecrated early in the 4th century. The mithraeum has been partly overlain and protected by a positive lynchet/fieldbank. The 1953 excavation trench can be identified on the ground by slight scarps, vegetation-marks and the local modification of the lynchet. The north and east parts of the mithraeum were well preserved but the south and west were largely destroyed. A suggested alternative reconstruction of the south-west corner, giving the building a symmetrical west end, was published following field survey. |
More information : (Previously recorded by the Ordnance Survey as NZ 16 NW 11.2 and NZ 16 NW 38)
(NZ 1106 6745) MITHRAEUM [G.S.C.] (Site of) [T.I.] (1)
The mithraeum is situated at the junction of two former hedges, one running from Rudchester farmyard to a point on the March Burn 180yds south of the road; and the other from the south end of the present western plantation past a spring. The line of the former can still be determined partly as a bank, and partly as a demarcation between
ridge-and-furrow ploughing. Excavation between May and August 1953 showed the mithraeum to consist of two building phases. The first, orientated NW-SE, had an overall length of 60ft, with a segmental apse at the west end, and narthex at the entrance. It was built in the early third century over an earlier, unidentified stone structure apparently of Antonine date. Rebuilding took place towards the end of the century, and the new temple, identical in plan with the first except for the narthex, incorporated two centurial stones from the Vallum, one inscribed 7 iv.v. It was short-lived, and was probably finally desecrated early in the 4th century. Four altars were recovered during the excavation additional to five found in the vicinity in August 1844. Only four of the total are inscribed (2a). There are no surface remains. The site falls in a pasture field between two areas of ridge-and-furrow ploughing. Finds are now in the Newcastle Museum of Antiquities. (2)
The mithraeum has been partly overlain and protected by a positive lynchet/fieldbank. The 1953 excavation trench can be identified on the ground by slight scarps, vegetation-marks and the local modification of the lynchet. The N and E parts of the mithraeum were well preserved but the S and W were largely destroyed. A suggested alternative reconstruction of the SW corner, giving the building a symmetrical W end, was published following field survey. (3-4)
Scheduled (5)
Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (6) |