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Temple of Antenociticus at Benwell

Robbie Parkinson. Temple of Antenociticus at Benwell. Details. The Temple of Antenociticus was situated outside of the fort of Condercum, built c180 AD. Antenociticus was a local god or or one favoured by the Vangiones, troops from the upper Rhineland, Germany, based at the fort.

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Temple of Antenociticus at Benwell

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  1. Robbie Parkinson Temple of Antenociticus at Benwell

  2. Details • The Temple of Antenociticus was situated outside of the fort of Condercum, built c180 AD. • Antenociticus was a local god or or one favoured by the Vangiones, troops from the upper Rhineland, Germany, based at the fort. • The head of a statue of the deity was found in the temple wearing a torc, a British item of jewellery. • Antenociticus was likely a local British god as there are no other references to him outside of Britain in the entire Roman empire. • The temple is so small, meaning that the temple was probably privately built and could be used for exclusive worship. • It is thought Antenociticus was either a warrior or smith deity. • Also nearby is the Vallum crossing.

  3. Inscriptions at the temple • The inscriptions to Antenociticus at Conderecum (Chesters) are :- • DEO ANTENOCITICO ET NVMINB AVGVSTOR AEL VIBIVS > LEG XX V V VSLM (To the god Antenociticus and the Divine Spirit of the Emperor, AeliusVibius, centurion of the Twentieth Legion Valiant and Victorious, willingly and deservedly fulfils a vow.); • DEO ANTENOCITICO SACRVM COH I VANGION QVIB PRAE EST ...C CASSIANVS PRAEF VSLM (To the holy god Antenociticus, the First Cohort of Vangiones, under the command of the prefect Gaius Cassianus, willingly and deservedly fulfil their vow.), • DEO ANOCITICO IVDICIIS OPTIMORVM MAXIMORVM QVE IMP N SVB VLP MARCELLO COS TINEIVS LONGVS IN PREFECTVRA EQVITVM LATO CLAVO EXORNATVS ET Q D(For the god Antenociticus. By the decrees of the best and greatest of our Antenociticus, who enjoy dedications from all the legions stationed in Britain and from senior officers of the auxiliary unit's emperors, under [the administration of] the consular Ulpius Marcellus, while serving as prefect of cavalry, TineiusLongus was adorned with the broad stripe [of a senator] and appointed to the post of Quaestor).

  4. Alters • One of three alters found at the temple. This one was dedicated by a centurion of the Twentieth Legion to the god Antenociticus.

  5. Significance of the temple • Shows the Roman attitude towards other religions; very lenient, the fact that they adopted this native religion shows a willingness to accept other cultures rather than enforcing their own absolutely.

  6. Later history of the temple • The latest coin recovered from the temple was an issue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–80). Records of burnt timbers and roof tiles have led to suggestions that it was destroyed by enemy action in the late 2nd century. But only five legible coins have been found from the temple, so the date of its destruction cannot be regarded as certain.  • At some stage during the Roman period the surrounding area seems to have been used as a cemetery, and three skeletons were found in the apse of the temple. In 1935, immediately west of the temple, two brooches dating from the 6th- or early 7th-century and a glass vessel, probably associated with Anglo-Saxon burials, were found when the present street was built.

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