(Roman) Temple of Antenociticus (3) - geograph

Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a ...

worship, the local god Antenociticus, also recorded as "Anociticus" at the same temple site in Benwell, was possibly worshipped as source of inspiration and intercession in military affairs.

Centres of worship

Condercum

Antenociticus appears at only one site in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, the fort of

Condercum Condercum was a Roman fort on the site of the modern-day Condercum Estate in Benwell, a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was the third fort on Hadrian's Wall, after Segedunum (Wallsend) and Pons Aelius (Newcastle), and was situated o ...

, on

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

, where three altars to the god were found within the ruins of a small temple. This god is not mentioned on any known Roman altar stones from the continent, and is therefore thought to be a native British deity. The fact that the god is revered at

Benwell Benwell is an area in the West End of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. History The place-name 'Benwell' is first attested in the ''Historia de Sancto Cuthberto'' circa 1050 AD, where it appears as ''Bynnewalle'', from the Old English ''bionnan ...

(1327 t Num Aug 1328, 1329 .AD175-7 by a legionary

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

, the

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

of an auxiliary infantry cohort and the

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of an auxiliary cavalry ala, lends credence to this assumption, and perhaps proves that the god was not transferred here as the

patron deity A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...

of an

auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: * A backup site or system In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of ...

regiment. The sandstone head of the statue of Antenociticus was discovered in 1862 at the temple in Benwell. A

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

can be seen around the neck, and the hair on the head curls forward so as to resemble two horns. Parts of the lower leg and forearm of the statue were also found, indicating that a life-sized statue of the god once stood in the temple. The small temple of Antenociticus stands in the

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...

(civilian settlement) outside Benwell (Condercum) Fort, one of 13 permanent forts added to the line of Hadrian's Wall during its construction. The temple was built in about AD 178-80, probably to mark the promotion of the Roman cavalry prefect who dedicated one of three altars in the temple to Antenociticus. It is thought Antenociticus was possibly worshipped as a source of inspiration and intercession in military matters. Antenociticus is not mentioned at any other Romano-British site or on any inscriptions from the Continent, hence his identification as a local deity. The head of Antenociticus and the temple altars, formerly displayed at the

Museum of Antiquities The Museum of Antiquities was an archaeological museum at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It opened in 1960 and in 2009 its collections were merged into the Great North Museum: Hancock. History The museum was originally op ...

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

, can now be seen at the

Great North Museum The Great North Museum: Hancock is a museum of natural history and ancient civilisations in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The museum was established in 1884 and was formerly known as the Hancock Museum. In 2006 it merged with Newcastle Unive ...

in the same city of Newcastle.

Binchester

Archaeologists have speculated that a similar sandstone head, unearthed at

Binchester Roman Fort Vinovia or Vinovium was a Roman fort and settlement situated just over to the north of the town of Bishop Auckland on the banks of the River Wear in County Durham, England. The fort was the site of a hamlet until the late Middle Ages, but the ...

near

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...

in 2013, may also be of Antenociticus.Archaeologists find ancient stone head which could be Roman Geordie god: Discovery at Roman fort near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, thought to be a local war god from 1,800 years ago
Published online Wednesday 3 July 2013 19.01 EDT by Guardian News and Media Limited. Accessed online April 3, 2015

Sources

* Museum of Antiquities,

Newcastle Upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, Englan

Dead link, Current main link for same museum: http://www.newcastle-antiquaries.org.uk - An archived version of the old page from April 2009 can be seen here

* * Ross, A (1967): Pagan Celtic Britain: Studies in Iconography and Tradition. cademy Chicago Publishers; New edition of Revised edition (15 Jan 1996)*

References

{{reflist Gods of the ancient Britons Roman gods Newcastle upon Tyne