London Mithraeum

A few months ago my beloved took me to the London Mithraeum, the remains of a Roman temple to the god Mithra in the basement of Bloomberg London. The layout was very thoughtful and really enhanced my experience.  There were several artefacts from the site on display on the top level, where you enter.  It was a nice mix of print material on walls and print material on tablets that made it more user friendly than most displays of this type that I have been to before.  The descent to the two below ground levels has some nice visuals bringing attention to how as you dig deeper into the London ground, you are also in a sense digging deeper into the past.  The middle level has a series of video clips that prepare you for the main exhibit.  The temple itself is at the lower level.  As you enter, they do this soundscape of gathering of worshipers and chanting in Latin; it really sets a mood.  Probably grossly inaccurate and anachronistic, but for me it help elicit a sacredness to the space. They also have the lighting low, and they used light from slits in the floor and celling to
cast shadows where there would be walls and columns.  It really helped give a sense of the three-dimensional space of the former temple from the essentially two dimensional ruin.

An added bonus is that it is free (she knows what iI like). Be forewarned, if you are an out-of-town visitor spending a day with me in London, there is a fair chance I might take you to the London Mithraeum.


Photo Credits

Mithraeum Lights: Museum of London Archaeology

Head of Mithra: The Tertullian Project