Rare Roman altars to go on display in Scotland

Two ancient stone altars discovered at a Roman fort near Edinburgh are going on display at a museum for the first time.

The altars were used by Roman soldiers in Scotland to worship the god Mithras, almost 2,000 years ago.

Historians say that the cult of Mithras was a secretive, male-only religion which celebrated the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.

The ancient altars were discovered at Inveresk in East Lothian in 2010, and date back to around 140AD, when southern Scotland was occupied under the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.

The altars, are the only ones of their kind to have ever been found in Scotland, and after lots of repair and care, they will now go on display at the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) as part of a new exhibition in November 2026.

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

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

"The cult of Mithras... gave soldiers a sense that there was a purpose to their world and a life after death," he said.

One altar shows the face of Sol - the Roman sun god - and was sculpted in a way so that candlelight would shine from behind, making the god's face and crown look like it was glowing in the darkness.

It also has carvings of the four seasons, shown as female figures, representing the passing of time.

The second altar honours Mithras himself, and is decorated with symbols linked to other Roman gods of light, including Apollo, as well as animals that were often associated with Mithras, such as ravens and a griffin - a mythological creature that is part-eagle, part-lion.