Below the windswept wilds of Northumberland lie the countless ruins of temples to countless gods. Some are know by the foundations and crumbling walls left bare but the majority are only seen by the geometry of civilisation solely visible on aerial photographs. A plateauing fold of land outside of Housesteads Roman Fort once held many temples, outdoor altars and shrines one being the submerged temple to Mithras, the god of light. Dawn Felicia Knox recreated the temple and the sprawling hillside that once concealed it in the Castle Keep, Newcastle.
This project was the culmination of Knox’s year in residence with the Society of Antiquaries Newcastle. The Society began in 1813 and has worked to conserve the heritage of the North East and beyond. It has been instrumental in preserving Hadrian’s Wall, the Castle Keep and a vast collection of artefacts. Knox has spent time with the Society, its members and its extensive archive to create her installation based on archeological reports of a Mithreaum once built in the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall.
The installation was funded by the Society of Antiquaries Newcastle and Hadrian Arts Trust.