Dig uncovers possible Byzantine clay lamps and glass kohl jars at temple of Mithras

A number of clay lamps and glass kohl jars, possibly dating to the Byzantine era have been uncovered at a site at Horta, Syria, 15 kilometres north of the ancient city of Apamea.

The 2009 joint Syrian-Polish expedition focused on the uncovering of a temple dedicated to the Roman god Mithras.  The temple altar and main hall are amongst the parts uncovered, with the walls revealing frescos depicting Mithras and other gods associated with him.

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The cult of Mithras was popular in among the military in Rome between the 1st and the 4th centuries AD.  Little is known about the practises of Mithras’s followers  as no documents about the cult survive, what is know however is that his worshipers had a system of 7 grades of initiation that involved ritual meals. In surviving depictions of him, he is shown to have been born from a rock and is often pictured sacrificing a bull.

The roof on the west side of the temple was collapsed and while clearing the rubble from the area, archaeologists found clay lamps, glass kohl jars and pottery that are believed to date to the Byzantine period because they are decorated with the sign of the cross.

If some finds are from the Byzantine period, which began in the 4th century when Emperor Constantine I transferred the capital of Rome to Byzantium (which became Constantinople), it is significant as it shows continuation of use for the temple through different periods of the history of the Roman Empire.

Future expeditions will focus on uncovering the exterior of the temple, covering an area of around 200 square meters.