The Allure of a Good Story: A Reinterpretation of the “Ordeal Pit” in the Carrawburgh Mithraeum

The long-standing focus in Mithraic studies on textual and visual evidence has privileged certain elements of the cult and its practices as worthy of study above other, less visible aspects. In particular, the initiation or ordeal ritual has attracted a lot of attention as a key practice in the cult, leading scholars to interpret archaeological evidence with this ritual in mind. The so-called “ordeal pit” at the Carrawburgh mithraeum is taken as the main case study for reinterpreting such archaeological features. Using a comparative analysis of other pit features found in mithraea, I argue that the “ordeal pit” should be interpreted with a more everyday function, either a space for water storage or food preparation.