Monumentum
Aion altar of Bordeaux
The altar depicting a lion-headed figure from Bordeaux includes a sculpted ewer and a patera on the sides.
Limestone altar with lion-headed figure.
The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA)
Left side of the altar.
The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA)
Left side of the altar.
The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA)
The New Mithraeum
17 Jun 2009
Updated on 2 May 2023
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This limestone altar was unearthed i the ruins of a Mithraeum that came to light in 1986 during an excavation in Bordeaux, in the location of the former Parunis stores built in the 1950s on the ours Victor-Hugo. During the High Roman Empire the site was included in a city block situated within the southern extension of the city of Burdigala, on the main cardo.
The altar was found with three other uninscribed altars in the apse at the far end of the spelaeum. The main face is in the form of a temple, simply represented by two pilasters and a pediment.
The altar was found with three other uninscribed altars in the apse at the far end of the spelaeum. The main face is in the form of a temple, simply represented by two pilasters and a pediment.