The Mithraeum

Newly opened archaeological site of a Roman temple in the basement of the new Bloomberg Building.

This Roman temple of Mithras has recently been relocated to the site on which it was originally discovered and is now in an attractive display in the basement of a new office block. It is free to go in but they recommend booking in advance.

On the ground floor there is a wall of unlabelled objects found on the site with iPads provided to give details of the items. It is very moving to look at personal objects that were discarded in the past and to imagine the lives of the people who lost them. As you descend to the basement the street levels at different points in time are carved into the marble walls with details of historic events of the time. They limit the number of people going into the Mithraeum but there is a good video in the holding area to keep you occupied.

You go into the main site in small groups and once in there you visit starts with a light and sound experience to give an idea of how the temple might have looked, sounded and been used. This just lasts a few minutes then you are left to view the reconstruction of the archaeological site as it was discovered in 1952-54. It is moving to be in a space that old and to see a place where Londoner’s before us worshiped and socialised. Combine a visit here with a trip to the amphitheatre and you really feel like you are walking Roman London.

Reviews
Times
Guardian
Telegraph

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thomas Becket: Murder and Making of a Saint

Image
Stunning exhibition at the British Museum on the life and afterlife of Thomas Becket. I studied Becket both at A Level and at university so I was really looking forward to this show and it did not disappoint. From walking in to see an old friend, the early Limoges casket showing the murder from the Victoria and Albert Museum, I was gripped. The show told the story well using fantastic objects and led you through his life, the murder, the political aftermath, his sainthood and miracles, and how Canterbury became a major pilgrimage site. It is hard to pick out the best objects as so many were wonderful. I loved that they had early copies of some of the five eyewitness accounts of the murder which made you fell you were almost touching the event. I liked the manuscript on his time in exile which was almost like a comic strip. How wonderful to get a 13th century font from Sweden which shows how far and how quickly the news that Henry II had integrated the murder spread. I think my...
Read more

Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Exhibition 2019

Image
Delightful exhibition at Clarendon Fine Art showing pictures from the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year TV series. I had loved the series which had set nine artists, both professional and amateur, to paint one of three celebrities. It then had a semi-final and final with them all looking at one sitter and in the final they also took on a commission. I loved the way you watched a picture build and how some were then made or spoiled by one stroke of paint.   Finding these pictures I knew so well in the flesh was therefore fascinating. None of them disappointed. My favourite artist from the final, Tom Mead, works looked just as good in real life if not better as you could see the detail. The show included his impressive self-portrait which he submitted to enter the competition, a wonderful fragmented picture of his reflection in a mirror giving a sense of movement. I loved that it included a large version of him and a miniature. His commission for the final of Jazzie B...
Read more

The Renaissance Nude

Image
Beautiful exhibition at the Royal Academy looking at the nude in Renaissance art. The show was gently themed but mainly let the pictures speak for themselves. It began by looking at the subjects, both religious and secular, which include nude figures then examined techniques and models used in these works, finishing by looking at more personal pictures. This is a period I’ve studied a lot so there were a lot of old friends and it was quite fun predicting what might appear. There were a few surprises too such as the rather surprising drawing of the Ecstatic Christ. I liked the fact the show included lots of different art forms not just paintings including sculpture, etchings, drawings and illuminated manuscripts. There were some fascinating hangs to draw comparisons particularly two sets of pictures by Giovanni Bellini and Hand Memling from almost exactly the same date. These were shown back to back in a display cabinet down the middle of one room. My favourite work was ...
Read more