Altar with inscription of Bingen

The New Mithraeum

10 Mar 2022

Updated on Nov 2022

TNMM 519 ↔ CIMRM 1243

Altar (H. 1.24 Br. 0.70 D. 0.43) in sandstone. Bingen, Museum. Inv. No. 2465.

In h(onorem) d(omus) d(ivinae) / deo invicto / Mytrhe (sic!) ara/m ex voto dei / de suo impen/dio instituer(unt) / A(ulus) Gratius Iuven/is pater sacroru/m et A(ulus) Gratius Po/tens m(iles) l(egionis) XXII mat/rica[ri]us fratres / dedic[aver]unt co(n)s(ule) Afri(cano).

l.4: ex voto dei is a correction of et templum. Traces of red colour.
l.7: Iuven(is) correction of Ioven(is). The gentilicium Gratius in CIL XIII, 7083.
l.10: matricarius is in Behrens' opinion connected with the Mithras community and not with the Legio XXII.

236 A.D.

CIL XIII 7083

In h[onorem] d[omus] d[ivinae] / deo invicto / Mytrhe [sic!] ara/m ex voto dei / de suo impen/dio instituer[unt] / A[ulus] Gratius Iuven/is pater sacroru/m et A[ulus] Gratius Po/tens m[iles] l[egionis] XXII mat/rica[ri]us fratres / dedic[aver]unt co[n]s[ule] Afri[cano].

In honour of the divine house, to the invincible god Mithras, the altar, following a vow to the god, at their own expense, Aulus Gratius Iuvenis, Fathers of the Rites, and Aulus Gratius Potens, soldier of the XXII legion, fire officer, erected it. The brothers dedicated it when [Marcus Pupienus] Africanus was consul.

References

Behrens in Germania VI, 1922, 8lf; Cagnat in Ann. Ep., 1923, 11, No. 34; Drexel in ERGK XIV, 1922, 11; Lehner in EJ 129,1924,86 No. 240; Mainzer Zeitschrift 1937, 42 No. 12 and fig., Finke in ERGK XVII, 1927, 72f No. 226; Behrens, BL, 22f No. 4 and fig. 33.

Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef (1956) Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae