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<< Our Photo Pages >> Mithras Temple (London) - Ancient Temple in England in Greater London

Submitted by Andy B on Wednesday, 08 November 2017  Page Views: 13662

Multi-periodSite Name: Mithras Temple (London) Alternative Name: The London Mithraeum
Country: England County: Greater London Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: London
Map Ref: TQ3252181031
Latitude: 51.512671N  Longitude: 0.091666W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
2 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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MelissaBWrite hallsifer would like to visit

aolson visited on 20th Mar 2019 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 5 Hats off to Bloomberg for this vastly improved setting of the temple. It is free, the display of finds in informative, and the temple looks so much better now! We visited here and immediately went to the Museum of London to see the finds from the original excavation.

AnnabelleStar visited - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 5

Mithras Temple (London)
Mithras Temple (London) submitted by dodomad : Situated on the site of Bloomberg’s new European headquarters, this new cultural hub showcases the ancient temple, a selection of the remarkable Roman artefacts found during the recent excavations, and a series of contemporary art commissions responding to one of the UK’s most significant archaeological sites. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Situated on the site of Bloomberg’s new European headquarters, this new cultural hub showcases the ancient temple, a selection of the remarkable Roman artefacts found during the recent excavations, and a series of contemporary art commissions responding to one of the UK’s most significant archaeological sites.

The site lies over the course of one of London’s lost rivers, the Walbrook. Nearly 2,000 years ago when Londinium was founded by the Romans, this river marked the limits of their first settlement. In the 3rd century AD, nearly 200 years after the founding of London, a Roman Londoner, built a temple to the god Mithras on this reclaimed ground, next to the river. The mysterious cult of Mithras first appeared in Rome in the 1st century AD. It spread across the Empire over the next 300 years, predominantly attracting merchants, soldiers and imperial administrators. Meeting in temples which were often constructed below ground, these were private, dark and windowless spaces. The mythological scene of Mithras killing a bull within a cave, the ‘tauroctony’ is at the heart of the cult, and its full meaning is subject of much speculation.

Archaeology at Bloomberg is an illustrated guide to the exceptional archaeology and history of the Bloomberg site (PDF)

Entrance is free but advance booking is advised via the London Mithraeum website.
Open every day except Mondays and Christmas
Official Web Site

Note: Reconstructed Roman Temple of Mithras opens to the public in London
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Mithras Temple (London)
Mithras Temple (London) submitted by AlexHunger : Photo from 2011. This ancient Temple of Mithras was found on Queen Victoria Street in London in 1955. The building remains were displayed in front of the Legal & General headquarters until fenced of recently. Other artifacts are in the Museum Of London. As the Legal & General offices are being redevelopped, the site is no longer accessible. The Photo was taken from accross the street in the "Pou... (Vote or comment on this photo)

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"Mithras Temple (London)" | Login/Create an Account | 7 News and Comments
  
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mithra temple london by dawdjaxon on Wednesday, 29 November 2017
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from my research believe that mitherism was Persian religion taken to Rome by soldiers. Mithra was son of sun god ,(halo around his head ),dies every year (winter solstice) and is resurrected, used the eucherest , brought back the dead, holy day was Sunday. Sounds familiar? Only men allowed as it was for warriors. Temples in many Roman amphitheaters so Gladiators could pray . Temple underground station is by/on largest Mithra temple in London. You can see where Christianity got its ideas from.
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Re: Temple of Mithras in London by AngieLake on Wednesday, 08 November 2017
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Another news article here, with illustrations:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5063255/First-look-rediscovered-London-Roman-temple.html
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Reconstructed Roman Temple of Mithras opens to public in London by Andy B on Wednesday, 08 November 2017
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Visitors to new museum will uncover mystery cult of Mithras the bull slayer in multi-sensory experience

Maev Kennedy writes: London’s Roman-era Temple of Mithras, once displayed on a car park roof with a crazy paving floor, is to reopen to the public – this time on its original site.

Visitors to the temple will now descend through steep, black stone-lined stairs, in Bloomberg’s new European headquarters, to seven metres below the city streets where in Roman times the smelly river Walbrook once flowed sluggishly through marshy ground. In approximately 240AD, the Romans built a temple next to the river to one of their most mysterious cult figures, Mithras the bull-slayer.
Bloomberg European HQ review – welcome to the Bloombergeum…
Read more

The virile young god from the east was beloved of soldiers who worshipped him by the light of flaring torches in underground temples, where the blood of sacrificial animals soaked into the mud floor. The reconstruction of his rites includes the soundtrack of shuffling sandalled feet and voices chanting in Latin the names of the levels of initiates taken from graffiti on a temple in Rome: the god still guards many of his secrets.

“It was a mystery cult and its rites remain very well guarded mysteries. There is nothing written about what went on in the temples, no book of Mithras,” said Sophie Jackson, the lead archaeologist from the Museum of London Archaeology who has spent years working on the excavation and reconstruction.

Read more at
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/nov/08/reconstructed-roman-temple-mithras-opens-public-bloomberg-hq
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Do you recall the 1954 London Mithraeum dig? by Andy B on Wednesday, 08 November 2017
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It all began in 1952 when a team of archaeologists from the Roman and Medieval London Excavation Council dug a few exploratory trenches on a construction site in central London’s Walbrook Square. Victorian buildings on the site had been all but leveled by German bombs during the Blitz. The ruins were slated to be demolished a new office block for an insurance company to be built at the location. The only reason archaeologists were there is that the lost river Walbrook had once flowed through the area so the site was surveyed to record alluvial deposits that would establish how the Walbrook changed over time. Informative, but far from glamorous.

For two years the excavation, led by Welsh archaeologist Professor William Francis Grimes and Audrey Williams, puttered along drawing no interest whatsoever. They were almost done when the team unearthed the walls and floors of a stone building from the Roman period. They thought it was a private villa or maybe a public building until in mid-September they found an altar at one end that identified the structure as a temple. As historically significant a find as it was, it was still slated to be destroyed to make way for the ugly new grey box of offices.

Then on Saturday, September 18th, 1954, the last day of the excavation, a marble head of the god Mithras, identifiable by his characteristic Phrygian cap, was found. The handsome young deity would have gone unnoticed too if it hadn’t been for a newspaper photographer from nearby Fleet Street who was on the spot and took some pictures. They were printed the next day in The Sunday Times and caused an immediate sensation.

More at
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/32448
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The Temple of Mithras reconstruction by Andy B on Wednesday, 08 November 2017
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MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) write: Bloomberg London sits at the heart of the modern City of London and at the centre of the Roman town. Discovered in 1954, the Temple of Mithras was a hugely significant archaeological discovery that captured the imagination of the people of post-war Britain. After careful excavation in the 50s the temple’s remains were put in storage and in the 60s it was reconstructed.

Positioned 100 metres from the original find spot, above a carpark, the reconstruction was not entirely sympathetic to the original remains. It did however serve as a powerful physical reminder of the site’s rich heritage and became a regular stop-off for tourists. It was listed by Historic England in 2007.

When Bloomberg acquired the site in 2010 to construct their new European headquarters they were fully aware of the heritage assets on the site and the responsibilities that came with that. The City of London set out a series of planning conditions to protect and make the most of the site’s archaeology.

As well as extensive excavation and study of the archaeology of the 3 acre site, which led to the discovery of the largest collection of artefacts from a single site in the capital, Bloomberg took on the project to rehouse the temple, moving it back to its original location, in a publicly accessible exhibition space.

Working with our archaeological consultants and specialists, Bloomberg began work dismantling the temple and planning for its rebuilding. In 2011 diamond tipped chainsaws cut through the cement that held the remains together. The remains now in storage, our consultants helped Bloomberg to bring together a multi-disciplinary team to work on the design, interpretation, conservation, build and ongoing care of the temple.

More at
https://www.mola.org.uk/archaeological-consultancy-temple-mithras-reconstruction
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First look at rediscovered Roman temple beneath Bloomberg headquarters by Andy B on Wednesday, 08 November 2017
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London Mithraeum: First look at rediscovered Roman temple beneath Bloomberg headquarters

The remains were first found in 1954 but now have been fully restored by Bloomberg

This is the first look inside an 1,800-year-old Roman temple that has been brought back to life in London.

The building, dedicated to the god Mithras, has been restored to its original site, which lies beneath the new multi-million-pound Bloomberg headquarters near Mansion House.

The remains are enhanced by light and sound effects, including chants inspired by ancient graffiti found scrawled on a similar temple in Rome. This recreates what historians say is “a best guess” about what went on during ceremonies there.

More, with video:
https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/arts/london-mithraeum-first-look-at-rediscovered-roman-temple-beneath-bloomberg-headquarters-a3685276.html
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The lost rivers that lie beneath London by Andy B on Monday, 05 October 2015
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The River Walbrook dates back to Roman Londinium, with John Stow's 1598 Survey of London suggesting its name derives from the fact the brook passed by the city wall.

On a Saturday afternoon in September 1954, along the path of the river W, what is widely regarded as the City of London's most famous Roman discovery of the 20th Century was made.

Welsh archaeologist Prof WF Grimes discovered a Roman temple devoted to god of light Mithras.

The discovery of the temple was in Grimes' own words "a fluke".

"Professor WF Grimes wasn't looking for a temple but rather wanted to learn about the Walbrook Valley and its stream," says Caroline McDonald, the Museum of London's senior curator of Roman history.

More at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-29551351
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