Excavations 1844 - Rudchester Mithraeum

The Rudchester Mithraeum was a Roman Temple to the god Mithras. In the late second or early third century AD, the Mithraeum stood approximately 12m x 6m about 137m South and West of the fort - about 200ft west of the spring. Nothing is visible of the Mithraeum now - the only stone structure visible in the field is clearly the "spring" marked on the maps. Additional information is available at: Heritage Gateway, Wikipedia, Tertullian and a video by Chris Huff dated 4 Jan 2023 on mithraeum.eu.

In August 1844, 5 altars were discovered by men "working stones out of a mound of earth about 200 yards west of [Mr Thomas James'] house (Rudchester Manor) (Archaeologia Aeliana Series 1 Volume 4, 1855, pp 5-14. John Bell and Thomas Hodgson). This must have been from the Mithraeum. The 3 "perfect" altars were moved by Mr James to Otterburn Castle on 14th December 1844, ;ater to the Black Gate and them the Museum of Antiquities. The 2 others were moved to the Antiquarian Society on 18th December 1944. All are now in the Great North Museum. These descriptions and translations are from Roman Inscriptions of Britain which is currently being re-launched as part of Latin Now at the University of Nottingham.

The Mithraeum was excavated over 14 weeks from May to 28th August 1953 by J P Gillam and I MacIvor, using the maps from 1844. They wrote an excellent account woud multiple photograhs and drawings in Archaeologia Aeliana Series 4, Vol 32, pp. 176-219

The orientation of the temple is discussed in a paper by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna on the Social Science Research Network (PHILICA Article number 1109, 12th September 2017). Using software to demonstrate sunrise directions on satelite maps she demonstrates that noth Rudchester and Brocolita mithraea are orintated in the direction of sunrise on 25th December, the day celebrated as Mithras' birthday.