Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (10.1998(1999))

HAWARTI

SYRIA

OTHER REMAINS

Not surprisingly, there was no reclining
bench under the devilish painting. As
a result, everybody present would have had
to be accommodated on the right hand
bench, elevated above the floor. It was also
on this side that the altar was found stand-
ing on a slab pierced with a round cavity
which allowed sacrifices to be poured into
the ground. There are also remains of the
last sacred meals taken in the cave by the

worshippers: according to Dr. Karol
Piasecki from Warsaw University, they
consist mainly of chicken and some pork.
The grotto was dim, as was usual in
mithraea, so it is only natural that several
lamps and lamp fragments, in pottery and
in glass, were unearthed. As far as can be
established now, all were made in the
4th/5th cent. This dating is confirmed and
refined by coins.

PROSPECTS

About three quarters of the cave remain to
be excavated. There are many difficulties
ahead, including, first and foremost, the
problem of recovering the painted ceiling.
Several large fragments have already been
found, but the main piece still overhangs a
void in the middle of the grotto. The tech-
nical task seems tremendous indeed. From
what could be established by now, it is
clear that the decoration of the ceiling was
symmetrical and depicted inside an elabo-
rate vegetal frame a basket full of grapes
flanked by two birds (peacocks?) and two
disks. On an earlier layer, there must have

been a figure of Mithra himself, because
a fragment of plaster bearing his name in
large Greek letters has been recovered.
The next season will be long and diffi-
cult. Beside the strictly archaeological
problems, we must secure a permanent
roofing of the grotto; given the dimensions
to be spanned, it can rest only on an iron
frame. The access to the cave, rainwater
run-off, lighting of the monument are all
issues to be considered. We count very
much on the help of the Directorate
General in completing our common ven-
ture appropriately.

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