Mithräum von Riegel

TNMM 54

In December 1932, a votive altar was discovered with an inscription referring to the cult of Mithras. Excavations confirmed this hypothesis. In 1974, the Baden-Württemberg Historical Monuments Office excavated the sanctuary.

The building was of simple construction, but retained the usual form of this type of building as found in Italy. The sandstone base supported a wooden and earthen elevation. The whole forms a rectangle 9.10 m long and 6.40 m wide, with a quadrangular niche to the west. A flight of steps leads down into a vestibule (A) with plank walls, which takes up the whole width but is only 2.5m deep. A door and a few steps lead into the spelunca, the room where the cultists met. A central aisle (B) leads to the niche of the holy of holies (E). The aisle is flanked on the left and right by platforms (C), where the worshippers sat for the ritual banquet.

The large votive altar (D) stood at the end of the aisle, in front of the niche. Made of red sandstone, it bears the inscription of the donor, probably an oriental merchant: DEO INVICTO / VICTOR / ABASCANDENU(S) / D(E)VO(TIVS) D(ONO) D(EDIT). The reconstruction of the upper parts remains difficult. The examples of this type of sanctuary that are entirely made of stone are covered with a barrel vault. This can probably be accepted here too.

In the vestibule, an interesting collection of cultic ceramics was found, as well as a sword whose particular shape suggests that it was used during ceremonies: the blade was curved in a semi-circle in the middle of its length; when a man's neck was passed through this curve, the sword could give the impression of piercing the throat. In the hall, two small stuccoed stone altars were placed against the left platform. The image of the cult should have been placed in the niche, but efforts to find it were unsuccessful. However, a collection of incense burners, still stacked one inside the other, and several oil lamps were found near the door. Together with the crockery in the vestibule, these objects attest to the fact that this temple was neither desecrated nor violently destroyed, but rather slowly fell into ruin after the extinction or departure of the community. This is a particularity that should be emphasised, since many Mithra shrines (e.g. Biesheim) were sacked or taken over by the Christians.

A copy of the cult relief found in 1954 in Rückingen (Hanau, Hesse), now in the Hanau Museum, has been placed on the site: its size and quality of execution could be similar to that of Riegel. The sandstone block is carved in bas-relief on both sides, as the Rückingen cult relief was designed to rotate.