Religious shrine to Roman god uncovered at Hadrian’s Wall fort in England
By ANIMonday, July 20, 2009
WASHINGTON - A unique religious shrine to a Roman god has been uncovered at a fort along Hadrian’s Wall in England.
Hadrian’s Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of what is now northern England.
According to a report in News and Star, an altar dedicated to Roman god Jupiter of Doliche has been discovered next to the north gate of Vindolanda in Northumberland.
“What should have been part of the rampart mound near the north gate has turned out to be an amazing religious shrine with a substantial and exceptionally well preserved altar dedicated by a prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls to an important eastern god, Jupiter of Doliche,” said Andrew Birley, director of excavations.
“We estimate that this highly decorated stone altar - standing some 110cm high, and showing the god standing on a bull holding an axe and a thunderbolt - is around 1.5 tonnes in weight,” he added. (ANI)
