CIMRM 1291 - Mithraeum (undiscovered). Osterburken, Austria.

In 1861 a Mithraeum was discovered at Osterburken in Austria. An impressive tauroctony - one of the key monuments known - was found, together with two altars, plus two small lamps, pottery remains, and fragments of coloured decoration from the walls. The excavation was abandoned when a spring was disturbed and filled the excavation with water.

CIMRM entry

OSTERBURKEN 1291 A large Mithras relief was found at Osterburken when a cellar was dug not far from the Kirnachbrücke at the beginning of the Bofsheimerstrasze in 1861. The relief points to a Mithraeum which, however, could not be excavated bodily owing to the water of a well in the immediate neighbourhood. The monument had been covered carefully with sand and before it stood two altars in sandstone (H. 1.28 and 1.10 Br. 0.59 and 0.65 D. 0.19 and 0.23). At a depth of 2.40 mtrs a wall was discovered in N-E direction which was connected with another semi-circular wall in N-W direction (probably the apse of the sanctuary). On the pavement were fragments in red yellow and green stucco. Fragments of pottery and two small lamps were found.

Cumont gives more details.¹

Au printemps de 1861, on découvrit en creusant une cave, à neuf pieds sous terre, un grand bas-relief mithriaque soigneusement couché sur le sable, et devant lui, deux autels. Les fouilles tentées dans la suite, furent entreprises dans des conditions trop défavorables pour qu'on pût reconstituer le plan du mithréum. Elles permirent cependant de faire deux constatations importantes: la première, c'est que le temple était terminé au nord-ouest par un mur semi-circulaire qui parait avoir supporté une abside; en second lieu, pendant qu'on déblayait le sol dallé du spelaeum, on fit tout à coup jaillir une source, qui remplit d'eau l'excavation et interrompit les travaux. Dans les terres remuées, on découvrit outre des tessons de terre cuite et deux petites lampes, des fragments de la décoration rouge, jaune et verte, qui recouvrait les murailles. La position où ont été retrouvés, en 1861, le bas-relief et les autels, ont fait supposer à Stark (p. 26), non sans apparence de raison, qu'ils ont été cachés à dessein pour les soustraire à la destruction, sans doute lors de quelque invasion de barbares. C'est ainsi que s'expliquerait aussi leur état de conservation. Les deux autels de grès [H. 1.20m, L. 0.68m, E. 0.22m et H. 1.38m, L. 0.66m, E. 0.18m] qui ne portent malheureusement ni sculptures, ni inscriptions, paraissaient être entièrement neufs. De même le morceau principal a relativement peu souffert, vu la fragilité de la pierre et la délicatesse du travail :

In English:²

In the spring of 1861, while digging a cellar, nine feet down, a large Mithraic bas-relief was discovered, carefully lying on the sand, and before it, two altars. The excavations attempted following this were undertaken in conditions too unfavourable to allow the reconstitution of the plan of the Mithraeum. However they did allow two important observations to be made: first, that the temple was terminated at the north-west by a semi-circular wall which appears to have supported an apse; and second, that, while the flagstoned floor of the spelaeum was being cleared, there was a sudden gush of water from a spring, which filled the excavation and interrupted the work. In the earth disturbed there was discovered fragments of terracotta, two small lamps, and fragments of red, yellow and green decoration that covered the walls. The position in which the bas-relief and the altars were discovered in 1861 caused Stark to suppose (p.26), not without apparent reason, that they had been hidden to avoid destruction, probably at some invasion of the barbarians. This would also explain their state of preservation. The two sandstone altars [H. 1.20m, L. 0.68m, E. 0.22m et H. 1.38m, L. 0.66m, E. 0.18m], which unfortunately bear neither sculpture nor inscription, appear to be brand-new. Likewise the main piece has suffered very little, considering the fragility of the stone and the delicacy of the workmanship:

Bibliography

There are some more bibliographic details in the page for the relief, CIMRM 1292.

• Stark, Zwei Mithraen der Grossh. Althertümersammlung in Karlsruhe, Festschrift der Heidelberger Philologenversammlung, 1865.