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Monumentum

Tauroctony relief from Rückingen

Sandstone Mithras relief discovered in 1950 near Rückingen, proving the existence of a Mithraeum there from the late second to early third century AD
 
The New Mithraeum
27 May 2026

TNMM 1532 ↔ CIMRM 1136

A Mithrasrelief found at Rückingen near Hanau at a distance of about 200 mtrs N-W of the north-west corner of the Roman Camp in 1950 proves the existence of a Mithraeum at the end of the second and in the beginning of the third century A.D.

Birkner in Germania XXX, 1952, 349ff. The finds are in Schlosz Philippsruhe at Hanau and belong to the Hanauer Geschichtsverein. I commemorate in gratitude the late director H. Birkner and Mr H. Kroegel who forwarded the photographs.

The sanctuary itself was not found back, but on the site of discovery of the cultrelief a pit (Br. 0.70–0.95 D. 1.90) was excavated, the walls of which were revetted with by wooden planks. In this pit many fragments of pottery and sculpture were found. Two varnished cups (H. 0.073) of the Niederbieber 33a type had been placed at a depth of 0.90 and 1.20 mtrs as a building sacrifice before the S-O and N-W corner-stakes of the fence. It is not certain when the sanctuary was destroyed.

References

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