Mithraeum of Sofia

TNMM 56 ↔ CIMRM 2322

During constructions a Mithraeum was found at Sofia at a distance of 22 mtrs from the corner of Zsdanow Street and Lom Street.

S. N. Bobčev in Serta Kazaroviana II, Serdicae 1955, 207ff with plan and reconstruction. See fig. 644. [sic]

It was not possible to establish the entrance of the Mithraeum (L. 18.50 Br. 6.50) of which on one spot the wall has been preserved to a height of 2.20 mtrs. The sanctuary is divided into a central aisle and the two benches (L. 13.00 Br. 2.80–3.25).  In the r. bench (Br. 3.25) is a small basin. Four altars are interpreted by the author as bases for the cult-niche, but this is very unlikely.

The sanctuary was discovered in 1931 during construction activities. It was thoroughly studied in the 1970s by M. Stancheva. It is a building with a rectangular plan (28.30×19.70 m), consisting of a peristyle courtyard with a well and a relatively small, almost square temple (4.93×4.79 m) at the western end of the courtyard. The construction of the complex is attributed to the years immediately after the period 176–180 AD – the time of construction of the fortress wall of Serdica, with which the temple is consistent. According to researchers, the cult of Hercules (?) was worshipped in the sanctuary. Above the temple destroyed in the 4th century, a kind of depot for broken marble images of pagan deities was formed, among which there are fragments of statues of Athena, Tyche, Aphrodite, Hercules and Dionysus. Probably accumulated during the Christianization of the city.

A temple of Mithras is known from the fortified area of the ancient city of Serdica (18.50 x 6.50 m) (Герасимов 1943, 257, № 2; Бобчев 1943, 24, № 26; 1955; 1989, 38, № 6). It consists of three parallel rooms – two side ones shorter and narrower, the southern arched (Clauss 2000, obr. 12). Here, however, no underground part was unearthed, which is the actual premise of these complexes (Велков 1934, 84). In the northern part a semicircular pool faces the central premise. Water tanks were also found. The western wall is massive, with two small semicircular niches – there usually stands the cult relief image of Mithras. That is why the western wall of the temple in Serdica is of unusual thickness. Traces of niches (one square) could be seen in the western part of the north and south wall of the middle room. At the bottom of the west wall are holes for three clay pipes, possibly for drainage of the tanks. In the middle room, along the walls traces of benches (podiums) have been found. At about 2.50 meters east of the middle room, in situ, two bases for columns with a larger diameter than the inner ones have been discovered, i.e. we have a temple in antis. As a plan the mithreum in Serdica shows similarities with that in Riegel (Schatzmann 2004, 12, Abb. 2). Among the finds in the mithreum in Serdica a marble slab with Greek inscription, a stone vessel (mortar), an Ionic capital, parts of the wall pier, two coins of the emperor Arcadius, etc. were discovered. No materials specifically related to the cult of Mithras have been found on the site – votive tablets, cult vessels, etc. The building could be dated back to the end of 3rd, beginning of 4th century AD. Later reconstructions in the southern area have been also attested. Most likely the relief of the village of Gérman derives also from a mithreum in the vicinity of Serdica, as it is unlikely to have been brought from the ancient city itself. The dimensions of the relief are small, indicating that the temple was of modest size. Logically major centers of worship of Mithras were the towns along the main roads as Serdica, but there were also smaller ones. From Bulgaria undoubtedly one of the biggest mithreums unearthed so far is from the village of Kreta (Велков 1934). In the northern cult niche a relief of Mithras was found. All other materials from the sanctuary are associated with Mithras and date back to the 3rd century.

Dating

The earliest references to the cult of Mithras in Roman times were between 90–120 AD onwards (Vollkommer 1992, 584). The earliest initiations are known from Novae, Carnuntum and Rome (Vollkommer 1992, 584), whereas the latest were from around 313 from Rome. In regard to the images with tauroctonia scene, the latest monument was one from Gimeldingen (325 AD, Vollkommer 1992, 603, No 184). Most of the reliefs could be dated from 150 to 250 AD. Around 400 AD any production related to Mithras interrupted. Last forms of worships could be associated with an attempt to counter the spreading Christianity. Where the relief from Gérman falls? Because we have no other information about its dating, the context of the finding is not original, and the lack of an inscription can only indirectly assume the time of its production. It is a very exquisite piece of art, with fine making and many details. Thus, we could put it rather in the second half of the 2nd century AD.