REGENSBURG, GERMANY—La Brújula Verde reports that archaeologists discovered a temple to the god Mithras in Bavaria during 2023 excavations prior to construction of apartment buildings in the old town of Regensburg. Little of the building is preserved since it was constructed of wood. Artifacts recovered within the structure, including an inscribed votive stone and fragments of metal votive plaques, point to its ritual use. Incense burners and fragments of a ceramic vessel decorated with snake motifs—imagery specifically connected to worship of Mithras—allowed researchers to identify the site as a sanctuary dedicated to the god. Moreover, handled drinking jugs found in the building were likely used in ritual feasts, an integral activity in the Mithraic mystery cult. On the basis of coins found at the site, including those minted during the rule of the emperor Hadrian (reigned a.d. 117–138), archaeologists have dated the temple to between a.d. 80 and 171. This makes it the earliest of nine known Mithraea in the Roman province of Raetia, in what is now Bavaria. To read about frescoes in an ancient dining room that celebrate rites performed as part of the mystery cult of the wine god, go to "Pompeii's House of Dionysian Delights."
