The London Mithraeum
If you catch the Tube to Bank and walk down Walbrook towards Bloomberg’s Mithraeum it might be worth casting your mind back almost 2,000 years to when the Romans arrived.
Under your feet is the River Walbrook, which was the limit of the first Roman settlement, but as the swampy land around it was reclaimed, then so it expanded. A map of Roman London shows that the brook eventually dissected Londinium into two and played an important part in Roman life. It brought fresh water downstream and discharged waste into the Thames. It was also navigable up to a point near to where the Mansion House now stands.
Around 200 years after the Romans arrived, the Temple to Mithras was built on the east bank of the brook, possibly by an army veteran called Ulpius Silvanus. The question has to be asked who was Mithras, and why build a temple to him here? The answers can be found in a visit to the London Mithraeum.
The Mezzanine level will give you information about the mysterious Mithras and the cult that followed him. It seems that the Romans (particularly soldiers) were fascinated by the Persian’s idolization of the god Mithras and they built temples to him throughout the Roman world. As with most of these sorts of tales, they are probably just myths, but one stands out in particular – the killing of a bull by Mithras, now known by scholars as Tauroctony.
That’s enough mythology for now, and we can fast forward to the 1950s. It was the bombing of the City of London in WWII that exposed the remains of the temple. Every cloud has a silver lining as they say, and archaeologists, at least, were excited with the discovery. Their excitement also seemed to capture the public’s imagination, but the thorny question of what to do with it had to be addressed. In the end, development of the site commenced and the temple was physically moved to a site 100 metres from its original location.
In 2010 Bloomberg acquired the site to build its new European headquarters, and to their credit they took the Mithras Temple responsibility seriously. They got expert help to move it back to its original position and have now incorporated it into a public area within the new building.
The temple opened to the public in November 2017 and is free to go in, but it’s best to book beforehand if possible to guarantee entry, as they limit numbers to ensure a more rewarding experience. It has to be said though that some people find the experience somewhat underwhelming, but I wasn’t sure what to expect and so I can’t say that I was disappointed.
On entry you are welcomed by staff who seem proud of what’s been done here, and after a brief introduction you’re free to follow your own agenda, but it’s worth knowing that you won’t be allowed into the temple area until given the all clear. If I was to go back I think I’d follow a different routine to the one they expect you to do. I would head straight down the stairs (what’s referred to as ‘Descend through Time’), and find out how long it would be to the next temple viewing. The intermediate time can then be spent in the Mezzanine area exploring the information screens which give some background information about Mithras and Tauroctony.
Viewing the excavations are much like you would imagine, except that subdued lighting is used in a way that is supposed to add to the mystery of Mithras. There’s no doubt that a lot of thought has gone into the re-construction of the temple, but most people wouldn’t need much more than twenty minutes to enjoy the experience.
On the way in you would have seen a display of objects that were found around the site, and this is where I spent quite a bit of time on the way out. The guides will provide you with a tablet that gives details of all the objects on display.
The site on which the temple stands was used as a waste dump by the Romans for reclaiming the land around the Walbrook and archaeological finds during the 2012-2014 excavations have unearthed over 14,000 different artefacts and around 63,000 sherds of pottery. Much of it went to the Museum of London, but there are somewhere in the order of 600 objects here, and if I’m being honest I think I spent more time here than I did at the ruined temple.
Also on the ground floor is Bloomberg Space, which showcases contemporary art. My visit coincided with Isabel Nolan’s ‘Another View from Nowhen’, but as I hadn’t come here to see art I wasn’t too bothered about it.
All in all, I enjoyed what I came here for, and although I can see why some people might not be over-enthusiastic about it (especially those who are used to seeing substantial Roman remains), for me I thought that Bloomberg and those who helped out should be applauded in the way they’ve tried to bring the past back to life for everyone to see without it costing a penny – and I reckon that with a few tweaks here and there, the experience will improve as time moves on – after all, it’s only recently been open and there’s 2,000 years of catching up to do.
Originally posted 2018-03-01 16:03:11.
Smiling about the fact this absolute gem–for so many reasons– is tucked all the way under the other posts. It might not have been found yet but for that bombing. I know it is a totally different kind of find but It reminded me of when we were in Tilos years ago and like that the hillside had been shelled in WW2 and here was this cave with the skeletons of ancient dwarf elephants that had swum all the way from Africa. It really makes you think of so much that may yet be found.
Blimry! Not heard that one before. Can you remember when they found 30,000 skeletons at Liverpool Street Station when they were digging the tunnels for the Lizzie Line?
Was that the plauge? I do mind it being pretty significant. When they dig up the Overgate here they get remains. While they like to claim its from the seige of Dundee which cos that is where the final defence was fought but the reckoning is it’s plague victims. Tilos was fascinating actually with lots of ‘things’ like that to see,. The pooluation at that time when we were there was roughly 400, the island itself was quite big. There was a museum in the bigger of the two ‘towns’ specifically for this cave and the finds. But it was the idea the dwarf elephants had plainly swum all the way from Africa for whatever reason and set up home there that took the trick.
They could well have been victims of the plague at Liverpool Street but I don’t think they know for certain yet.
I can understand why historians would want those bodies to be from the siege of Dundee, but you would expect there to be clues if that were to be the case.
I’ve looked up your comments about Tilos because I knew nothing about the island or the dwarf elephants. Being during prehistoric times, could it have been possible that the island was part of theTurkish mainland then? I’m trying to think of a practical reason as it seems quite a feat to swim from Africa.
It is near to Turkey I think. All I know is that it is a hell of a distance from Rhodes where you get the ferry. I think the Dna of these remains has been studied and sequenced and the closet match was the African elephant. But there was also a suggestion that the entire dna sequencing of elephants needs looked at and revised. The island itself is a really interesting place. Our fav of the ones we visted.
It certainly does sound interesting Shey.
As for the Siege?? Well… I think folks like to play things up. I mean it is quite a story and cos the towns walls were pretty solid, but dated, there was a certain ‘bravado’ on the part of those in charge. Montrose had attacked the town a few years previously. There was indeed fierce fighting round the old steeple and a defence to the lastand I think every time some skeleton gets dug up by mistake, well, it makes better headlines.
LOL. Blame social media 🙂
Dundee was a bit rebellious as a town. I think the idea of all these casualties adds to the image. . .
It’s an image I’ve had of Dundee too so it’s good that you’ve confirmed it.
oh , this is the town that kicked out Churchill. When they were appatently the drunkest city in the British Empire, they elected a prohibionist. In the Hungry Thirties there were riots. There were riots in 1792 . I can go on re the riots here but it was apparently Scotland’s most radical town, so I think although Monck’s siege was earlier, the newspapers like to make out every skeelton is that of someone who fought to the end.
A fearsome reputation indeed. I hope it’s a bit more welcoming now 😊
Folks always speak to you in Dundee. My cousin and his wife who took early retirement from stressful jobs in London and came up here to live, just across in Wormit only ever having visted before, quite like that fact. And other folsk from round about all say the same.
I’ve always found Glaswegians the same, but Edinburgh people not so much. Probably because they get too many tourists.
Aye…. they are the big smoke here.
I think they should be commended. They made painstaking efforts to get it right, and I have to admit that it could be improved, but after all’s said and done this is London not the Mediterranean, and wasn’t an easy task. Thanks for taking a look
I will pay this a visit some time soon. All credit to Bloomberg for doing the work and not charging admission, though I’m sure they can spare the cash!