The Roman Art Treasures from the Temple of Mithras

Front cover: Head of Mithras Back cover: Temple of Mithras. Visitors watching excavations in progress, 1954 Full details of membership and other publications can be obtained from the Honorary Secretary, London & Middlesex Archaeological Society, c/o Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London EC2Y SHN, or 3 Cedar Drive, Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex HAS 4DD. The Roman Art Treasures from the Temple of Mithras THE ROMAN ART TREASURES FROM THE TEMPLE OF MITHRAS By j.M.C. Toynbee SPECIAL PAPER No.7 LONDON AND MIDDLESEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1986 The Society is grateful to the Historic Buildings & Monuments Commission for England and the Museum ofLondon for grants towards the cost ofthe publication ofthis report. ISBN 0 903290 31 6 1~~~E51 Printed in Great Britain by IX"U Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd CONTENTS Page Preface IV Introduction: the Archaeological Background, by \\". F. Grimes I List of Abbreviations 4 PART I Catalogue Second-century icorks in imported marble (Xos. 1-9) I. Head of ~lithras 5 2. Head of Minerva 10 3. Head of Serapis 13 4. Xlercurv group.............................................................................................................................. 18 S. Colossal hand of Mithras Tauroctonos 21 6. Small torso of Bacchus from narthex area 23 7. Small torso of Bacchus reused as building-stone........ 24 8. \Yater deitv................................................................................................................................... 25 9. Genius 27 Third-century u.ork in imported marble (:\"0. 10) 10. Relief of Mithras Tauroctonos 29 Third-century icorks in British stone (Xos, 11-13) 11. Left hand and forearm of Mithras Tauroctonos 31 12. Relief of Cautopates 32 13. Relief of Dioscurus 34 Thirdt:')-century works in importedmarble (:\"os. 14-15) 14. Roundel 36 15. Bacchic group 39 Third andfourth(?)-century importedsilverwork (Nos. 16---17) 16. Silver casket and strainer 42 17. Silver bowl, by Joanna Bird............... 52 PART II General considerations 55 Appendix I. X-ray fluorescence analysis and metallographic examination of the Roman silver casket and strainer from the Mithraeum, by M. J. Hughes and J. R. S. Lang 63 .lppendix II. Report on the stones from the Mithraeum, by the late S. E. Ellis 64 :\"otes 65 PREFACE The Temple of Mithras, discovered in the late S.E. Ellis of the British Museum 1954, was the most outstanding Roman (Natural History), M.J. Hughes and building excavated by the Roman and ].R.S. Lang of the British Museum Medieval London Excavation Council Research Laboratory for specialist con during the 1954 season. Noteworthy tributions to the work; toJoanna Bird and amongst its finds was the collection of Sarah Macready over matters to do with marble sculptures which had been deli details of the text; to John Edwards for berately buried, and to which had to be the photography of the sculptures; to Nick added three further marbles known as Griffiths for the artwork for Figures 1 & the Ransome Collection. Found in 1889 5; to Catherine Johns and Don Bailey of during building operations, they are now the British Museum and Francois Baratte known to have come from the temple. of the Musee du Louvre for photographs; All the sculptures are now housed in the to Hugh Chapman, past Editor of the Museum of London. The interest of the Society, and Jenny Hall for seeing the marbles was such that it was decided that work through the press. Above all, thanks they should, with the silver canister, be are due to the late Professor Tovnbee for made the subject of a separate publi making available her unrivall~d know cation. ledge of the subject and it is regretted that The Council is grateful to the London for various reasons (none of which were & Middlesex Archaeological Society for the responsibility of Professor Tonybee), making it possible to publish the City's she did not live to see the final publication. post-war excavations. Thanks are due to W.F. Grimes EDITOR'S NOTE The text of this publication is that com unfortunately produced until after her pleted by the late Professor Toynbee some death on 31 December 1985. The respon years ago and last seen in an edited form sibility for any errors and omissions must by her in September 1980, at which time therefore lie with myself. she made some final amendments and corrections. The first proofs were not Hugh Chapman INTRODUCTION: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND W. F. GRIMES The discovery of the Walbrook oriented east to west, with a heavily but Mithraeum was the chief outcome of an tressed apse at the west end. The interior investigation the original purpose of was divided into nave and side aisles by which (whatever else might result) was to sleeper-walls which carried stone col obtain more precise information about onnades. Entrance was by a double door the stream which has given the site its in the east wall from a narthex which was name. Though long since lost to view the only partly seen and may have fronted a Walbrook played an important part in Roman predecessor of the present Wal the Middle Ages as a parochial and brook street. The floor of the narthex was administrative boundary; in Roman times higher than that of the nave, perhaps it divided the walled city into two approxi indicating that the temple was built on the mately equal parts and must have affected lip of the Walbrook valley. This involved a living conditions in ways which can now stone sill and two steps down to the floor only be guessed at. Its scale and the of the nave, creating the sense of descent behaviour of its flood-water (if any) would which is a feature of many Mithraea. At doubtless have been important. the western end the floor of the apse was But of this part of the work it need only raised on a solid drum of masonry above be said here that as expected the stream all other levels. Before it were two steps, was smaller than had previously been the upper tread wider than the lower, thought. At the one point where it was presumably to allow space for altars. It is possible to examine it, about 360m back tempting to see in the seven columns of the from the present river-frontage, though colonnades some reflection of the seven incompletely seen it could not have been grades that made up the cult membership. more than 5-6m wide. But the exigencies Other features of the building in its origi of the situation made it necessary to con nal form were a square timber-lined well centrate effort on the building which pre or water-container in the south-west cor sented itself in the easternmost of the ner and the remains ofwooden structures, cuttings which were all that time and the floors and benches in the aisles. general conditions allowed. The evidence of coins and pottery com The presence of the stream was no bined suggests a date of AD 240-50 for doubt a factor in the establishment of the the building of the temple. In subsequent temple at this point, with its west end years the main changes were of two kinds. about 17m back from the channel. By the There was in the first place a gradual time of its building the shallow valley building up of the floors, in part perhaps had acquired a filling, mainly man-made, a reaction to the damp conditions which which hereabouts was up to 2.5m deep. seem to have prevailed throughout much The shrine itself was of slightly irregular of the building's history and which were basilican plan, about 18 by 8m. It was responsible for the later preservation of 2 J. M. C. Toynbee many timber elements which otherwise sleeper-walls in particular were solid and would have perished. The process seems undisturbed. to have been fairly rapid, judging by the Given the early fourth-century date for relatively shallow intervals between sur Floor 5 the alternative conclusion is ines faces. The temple was in use until about capable: that the two events, the removal AD 350 or a little later. In a period of of the colonnades and the concealment of about 120 years the nave acquired eight the sculptures, were yet another example successive floors. The resulting accumu of the hostility that existed between the lation on the original surface was rather emerging Christians and the Mithraists more than 1m deep. at this time, with the former attacking the One result of these changes was inevi temples and the latter seeking to protect tably to modify the internal arrangements their sacred possessions by hiding them. of the building. The steps both at the This view receives support from the entrance and before the apse were gradu belated recognition of the fact that the ally covered and finally eliminated. There Mithras had been damaged in antiquity. were corresponding alterations in the The neck, as found broken from the head, levels of the aisles. For a variety of reasons carries a scar which is due to a heavy blow it was not possible always to correlate the from an axe or other sharp implement. intervening surfaces and there were some In accepting this interpretation, however, differences in the treatment accorded to there is some danger of over-simplific the south aisle as compared with the ation, for the laying of Floor 5 must have north. preceded the burial of the marbles in it. The second, more disastrous change is The two cannot therefore be strictly con equated with the fifth floor in the above temporary; and there is no evidence as to succession. It is dated on coin evidence to the time-interval between the damaging the early fourth century, perhaps about of the head and its burial, or between the AD 310-20.

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