Nice to be back: altar goes home to mark 1,900th birthday ofWall
Hadrian’s Wall ran right through the Ouseburn, and this stone was discovered just up the hill from Seven Stories Alison Fisher
ACENTRE devoted to the joy of stories has gone back more than 1,700 years to tell its own tale to mark the 1,900th anniversary of the building of Hadrian’s Wall.
A Roman altar, found near the site where the Cumberland Arms pub now stands overlooking the Ouseburn in Newcastle, has returned to the valley where it was dedicated in the second century.
It has gone on show in the Ouseburn Valley at Seven Stories: the National Centre for Children’s Books.
The altar, dedicated by Julius Maximus, has been borrowed from Tyne Wear Archives and Museums.
It was found 100 feet south of the new Byker Bridge, which can be seen from the windows of the Seven Stories building, during the construction of a road in November 1884.
Hadrian’s Wall is known to have crossed the valley but its exact line has never been located.
The route of the Wall through the Ouseburn valley was documented in an illustration by Willian Stukeley in 1725 and by written accounts in 1732 and 1801.
Alison Fisher, exhibition curator at Seven Stories, said: “The altar tells us a lot about our local area over the centuries. Hadrian’s Wall ran right through the Ouseburn, and this stone was discovered just up the hill from Seven Stories.
“The stories and artefacts from the Roman rule of Britain have inspired great children’s literature, giving a real sense of how people lived in the past and allowing readers to discover about our shared heritage.”
The stone was later used for sharpening knives or swords but the inscription is thought to read: “Julius Maximus, a priest, to the unconquered god Mithras, dedicates this altar, in discharging a vow willingly and deservedly.”
Alison said: “The stone shows marks of being used as a sharpening tool much later in its life in preindustrial Ouseburn, showing us another side to the area.
“Thank you to the Ouseburn Trust and the Great North Museum: Hancock for helping us bring it back to the area.”
Gillian Rennie, Seven Stories head of exhibitions, said: “Seven Stories was approached as a partner venue by the Ouseburn Trust, to contribute to the Hadrian’s Wall 1900 event. The Ouseburn was part of the route of Hadrian’s Wall, and through bringing Roman objects back to the area and associated programming, we aim to empower local residents about their history and connection to this place. The altar will be on display until the end of 2022.”
Mithras was a Persian sun god. Near Carrawburgh Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland are the remains of a temple built around AD 200 dedicated to Mithras, a religious cult that emerged in the first century AD and spread across the provinces.
The rectangular stone temple has one entrance, and probably no windows. This would have created the dark atmosphere resembling the cave in which, according to legend, Mithras killed a sacred bull and feasted with the sun god, Sol.
The Mithraic cult had a sevengrade hierarchy, with passage from one to the next requiring an ordeal of mental or physical strength. Membership was popular among soldiers.
Three commanding officers of the fort dedicated the altars whose replicas are seen in the temple today.
Evidence for the route of Hadrian’s Wall will be explored in a guided walk led by Lesley Turner and George Davies from the Ouseburn Trust on May 18 at 6pm.