CIMRM Supplement - Mithraeum. Lucciana / Mariana, Corsica, France

In February 2017 a new Mithraeum was discovered during excavations for a new road at the Roman site of Mariana, at Lucciana in Corsica, near the church of La Canonica. The remains of a tauroctony were found in three pieces in the cult chamber, which had the two benches as usual on either side. The oil lamps found give a date of the 3rd century AD. The site was destroyed and burned in the 4th or 5th century, and became a rubbish dump.

Mariana, a Roman colony founded around 100 BC, reached its peak in the 3rd or 4th century. The excavations are in the peripheral area of the city, according to the Inrap (National Institute for Preventative Archaeological Research) communique. The sanctuary consists of a Mithraeum and its antechamber. The main cult chamber as usual consists of a central aisle, dug out, with two raised benches on either side, surrounded by a lime-coated wall. Two vaulted brick niches are present in the thickness of the benches. One still contained three intact oil lamps. At the top of the corridor was the bas-relief of Mithras, of which three fragments were found. Other marble elements were found, including the head of a woman. Two bronze bells, many broken lamps, and some jars of fine paste could be liturgical furniture. A plaque of bronze and another of lead bear inscriptions which remain to be decyphered. The exact causes of the destruction of the sanctuary are unknown.

From the article in Corse-Matin:

"It is an exceptional site," enthuses Daniel Istria, the responsible scholar for the site excavations of Mariana at Lucciana... Philippe Chapon, the archaeologist responsible for excavations ... "We found fragments of a statue where the famous bull is represented, which allows us to affirm that we are facing a place of worship dedicated to Mithras." On the partially destroyed statue, divided into three pieces, several symbols reveal the representation of the venerated God. ... The religious edifice does not impress by its size. Eleven meters in length and six in width. The archaeologists are working to clear the bottom of the statue. Behind, the location of a large oven takes shape: "They could make food for several dozen people," says an engineer. Inside, the place looked like a cave. Dark, without window, between the mysterious and the mystic. Just the place to see the faces of the visitors in adoration before their God. The oil lamps found on the construction site were stored in the niches of the wall. History to make a hint of light shine through the dim light. "This cult was very popular at that time, 100 years BC [sic], among the Roman legions. The oil lamps allow us to define a dating around the third century. The place was destroyed and burned in the 4th or 5th century." ... But the fragments of marble found destroyed and burned by scientists leave little doubt about the epilogue of the chapel of Mithras of Lucciana: "The place was then reused for another use. Much material was found. It had even become a dump."

From the IBTimes report:

He [Chapon] and his colleagues unearthed a number of relics, including three oil lamps, and three broken pieces of marble structure depicting a scene from the religion's mythology – the sacrifice of a bull by Mithra. On one of the pieces, the archaeologists have been able to make out a dog and a snake drinking the blood of the bull, while a scorpion pinches its testes. Other artefacts, including a female head made of marble, bronze bells and pottery were also recovered. ... Some of the artefacts found in the Corsica sanctuary bear signs of damage which was sustained during antiquity. For instance, the altar has been broken.

It is intended to create a Roman museum at Mariana, and the discovery may cause the road to be diverted.

External Links

• Daniel Istria, Recherches sur la cité antique et médiévale de Mariana
• See also IBTimes
• See also page at Inrap.
• See also L'Express: "Archéologie: mise au jour en Corse d'un sanctuaire du dieu Mithra", 24/02/2017.