Tienen Mithraeum

A Mithraic temple built around 230-240 AD on the eastern edge of the Roman vicus at Tienen, Belgium, along the major road from Cologne to Bavay. Discovered in 1998 during preventive excavations at the Grijpenveld site, it is one of four mithraea found in Belgium. The partially subterranean structure measures roughly 10 by 6 metres with a central aisle dug 1.2 metres deep to evoke a cave. A 2x2-metre floor relief depicting the tauroctony was found inside. Ritual deposits yielded nearly 14,000 animal bones, predominantly cockerel (about 11,000 bones), along with piglets, lambs, and eels, suggesting coordinated feasts for 100-285 participants timed to the summer solstice.