Roman Shrine Discovered Under Cologne
Archaeologists have unearthed a unique Roman shrine beneath the German city of Cologne, with altars from the northernmost Mithraeum now going on display. The discovery adds to a remarkable week of archaeological finds across Europe, including a 17th-century shipwreck washing ashore on Dorset Beach and a Neolithic carved stone at Scotland's Ness of Brodgar.
- The recently discovered shrine is a lararium, a household altar for worship of the Lares, who were believed to be guardian deities of a Roman home. This particular lararium dates back to the 2nd century CE and is considered unique north of the Alps due to its remarkable state of preservation, which even includes remnants of paint inside its niche. - The shrine was unearthed within the former Praetorium, which served as the official residence and palace for the governor of the Roman province of Germania Inferior. This location highlights the blend of official duties and private religious practices at the heart of Roman administrative power in the region. - Archaeologists also uncovered the massive foundations of a 4th-century Roman basilica at the same site. The foundation walls are up to four meters thick and are constructed from layers of tuff, basalt, and limestone, rather than the more common Roman concrete. - A rare 1st-century Roman staircase was also found, which once connected a lower area near the Rhine riverbank to a higher section of the Praetorium. The preservation of such a structure is unusual as typically only the foundations of buildings from this period survive in Cologne. - These discoveries were made during excavations for a new underground museum tour called MiQua (LVR-Jewish Museum in the Archaeological Quarter Cologne). The area's deep location and early infill along the former Rhine slope helped protect these Roman structures from being destroyed by later construction. - Cologne, originally known as Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, was a significant Roman city founded in 50 CE. It served as the capital of the province of Germania Inferior and was a major trade and production center north of the Alps.
