Ancient Roman altars found in Scotland to go on display

Two ancient Roman stone altars found near Edinburgh and acquired for the nation are set to go on public display for the first time as part of a new exhibition at the National Museums of Scotland (NMS).

The altars were used by soldiers worshipping the god Mithras almost 2,000 years ago in a temple at the northern frontier of the Roman empire.

The discovery of the "stunning" altars was made at Inveresk in East Lothian and dates to about 140AD - when southern Scotland was reoccupied under Emperor Antoninus Pius.

The altars were acquired by NMS in 2016 but the museum has only just announced the news as it revealed a new exhibition which will open in November.

The Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire exhibition will run from 14 November 2026 to 28 April 2027.

The altars, which were excavated in 2010, are the only examples of their kind ever found in Scotland.

During their time buried underground, they had broken into fragments and they have undergone conservation work to reconstruct them and prepare them for display.

Experts say the altars were once the centrepiece of the most northerly temple to the god Mithras known of in the Roman empire.

Mithras was the focus of a secretive, male-only cult followed mainly by Roman soldiers.

The religion centred on ideas of light overcoming darkness and good defeating evil.

Worship took place in underground temples called Mithraea, where altars like these would have been dramatic focal points.

One altar shows the face of Sol, the sun god.

It was designed so that light shone from behind, making the god's face and crown appear to glow in the darkness.

It also includes carvings of the four seasons, shown as female figures, reflecting the passage of time.

The second altar honours Mithras himself and is decorated with symbols linked to other gods of light, including Apollo, as well as animals commonly associated with Mithras, such as the griffin.

Both altars were dedicated by a Roman centurion, probably named Gaius Cassius Flavianus, who was likely in charge of the fort at Inveresk.

While most evidence for Mithras worship in Britain dates to later centuries, these altars show that the cult was already well established among soldiers by the mid-second century.

Dr Fraser Hunter, principal curator of Roman Archaeology at NMS, said: "These stunning altars really bring the beliefs of the Roman frontier to life.

"The quality of the carving, traces of paint and dramatic lighting effects show they were impressive and expensive monuments.

"The cult of Mithras represented the triumph of good over evil and gave soldiers a sense that there was a purpose to their world and a life after death."