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The Rudchester Mithraeum
The archaeology of the Rudchester Mithraeum
In August 1844, 5 altars and a statue were discovered by men 'working stones out of a mound of earth” about 200 yards west of Rudchester Manor.
The Mithraeum at Rudchester was located and excavated over a period of 14 weeks from May to 28th August 1953 by Gillam and MacIvor and published their findings in Archaeologia Aeliana Series 4, Vol 32
It was short-lived, and the pottery evidence from the area shows that it was out of use and desecrated by the mid-fourth century.
All the finds and altars were placed in the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and are now on display in the Great North Museum – formerly named Hancocks Museum
There is nothing visible of the Mithraeum today, the fields is under grass, indeed the fort of Vindobala is almost undetectable
The Mithraeum at Rudchester was located and excavated over a period of 14 weeks from May to 28th August 1953 by Gillam and MacIvor and published their findings in Archaeologia Aeliana Series 4, Vol 32
It was short-lived, and the pottery evidence from the area shows that it was out of use and desecrated by the mid-fourth century.
All the finds and altars were placed in the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and are now on display in the Great North Museum – formerly named Hancocks Museum
There is nothing visible of the Mithraeum today, the fields is under grass, indeed the fort of Vindobala is almost undetectable
Related monument
Mithraeum of Rudchester
The Mithraeum of Rudchester was discovered in 1844 on the brow of the hill outside the roman station.
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