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At Rome’s twilight, amid political upheaval and Christian ascendancy, Vettius Agorius Praetextatus embodied pagan intellect, virtue, and authority across senatorial, military, and mystical spheres.
In his first book, Fahim Ennouhi sheds light on the cult of Mithras in Roman Africa. A marginal and elitist phenomenon, confined to restricted circles and largely absent from local religious dynamics, yet revealing.
Dominique Persoons proposes a reconstruction of Mithraic ritual based on archaeological remains, frescoes, and zodiacal symbolism. He interprets the mithraeum as a liturgical microcosm governing the descent, purification, and ascent of souls.
The Mithraeum of Stix-Neusiedl was discovered in the summer of 1816. Although the structure of the sanctuary is unknown, several associated monuments are preserved today in Vienna.
Next May, the Chair of History and Cultures of Pre-Islamic Central Asia at the Collège de France and Sorbonne Université will organise a round table devoted to the theme:
Mithra in dialogue between Central Asia, Iran and Rome
(The Greco-Roman part will take place at Sorbonne Université in November or December.)
Four sessions are planned, with contributions by Samra Azarnouche, Touraj Daryaee, Nina Mazhjoo and Frantz Grenet.
When: Tuesdays, 10:00–11:30 am, in May Where: Collège de France, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, Room 2
I know the Mithras site (since my childhood) at Carrawburgh and have worked at the APX Xanten (Germany) knowing about the Mitras Altar find down the road in Kalkar.
Batava Auxiliary Units where stationed at Xanten and Kalkar until they where transfered in disgrace (after the Batava uprising 69/70AD) to the Vindolanda area.
I was just checking the connection and if the same Batavian Cohort had maybe built and used the two temples and had maybe brought the cult to the area of north England
I have been pleasantly surprised to read this inscription proving a Betavian connection to Mitras at Carrawburgh.
The Altar found at Kalkar (not in situ.) is unfortunately dated after the official exodus of the Batavians although the Temple itself has not been found or excavated and the founding of the temple could possibly of an earlier date!
A selection of texts gathered by Ernesto Milá that reinterprets Mithraism as an initiatory, solar, and heroic cult. It includes the so-called Great Magical Papyrus of Paris, translated and commented by Julius Evola and the Ur Group.
The cultural and religious world of fourth-century Rome is explored through the life and afterlife of Vettius Agorius Praetextatus. His case is set in comparison with other pagan and Christian senators of the period.
Two limestone sculptures depicting a recumbent lion and a lioness stood near the entrance of the Mithraeum of Fertőrákos, positioned at the threshold of the sanctuary.
Algis Uždavinys presents philosophy as a sacred practice of inner rebirth, rooted in ancient Egyptian and traditional wisdom rather than a purely rational discipline.
No, I think it's not fun, but really superstition. The Romans all wore amulets, often with a phallus and a hand, even children wore them.
In the mithraeum there could be talismans
the Romans were very superstitious. they feared the 'evil eye', the jealousy of other people. We find this in Muslim countries with the hand of Fatima, the middle finger protects from the evil eye. The middle finger is the phallic finger (expression 'fuck of... this expression comes directly from the Romans). The Phallus protected from the evil eye. Also the snake, the scorpion, the raven but also the fork, the snail, the cat etc.. as we can see on the mosaic of Antioch 'KAI SU'. Of course, this a particular meaning to the dog and the snake under the bull of Mithras...
Restoring the Mysteries: A Conversation with Peter Mark Adams on his new book ‘Ritual & Epiphany in the Mysteries of Mithras’.
Behzad Bolout
I love the idea of this book and I’m looking forward to to buy and read it.
Only one thing looking at the text above there seems to be no mention of the origin of Mithraism, which is Iran and has nothing to do with Zoroastrianism,
In fact, the prophet Zoraostara raised against it.
And instead of looking for toots in europe it all goes to mystic Persia & Iran where it developed and during Parthian wars and trades took over Rome.
The roman version has local signs and philosophy then after the birth of Mithras goes to its original Persian form.
The Parthian belief and religion (Mithras) was wiped out after Sassanians took over.
Thank god that their religion lived in in Roman empire (so we can discover its doctrine.
Which later wiped out by christianity.
That said, the earliest account of the tauroctony that exactly matches the more famous frescoes and sculptures of the Roman era is that described in the Epic of Gilgamesh circa 2,000 BCE - and even that is likely to be a relatively ’late’ account of an already ancient oral tradition).
The gods Mitra, Varuna and Indra are all cited in the famous Hittite - Mitanni peace treaty circa 1,380 BCE. These people appear to have entered Anatolia circa 2,000 BCE, the Hittites by way of the Caucasus.
The earliest image of what looks like the tauroctony appears on a ring of King Saussatar (Shaushtatar) of Mitanni from the fifteenth century BCE.
Of course our understanding of the origins of the Hittite and Mitanni leaves something to be desired, but they appear to have entered the culturally Luwian zone of Anatolia sometime in the second millennium BCE. Certainly in the case of the Hittites they tended to assimilate themselves to the Luwian pantheon and language in their religious rites. All of this is, admittedly, somewhat foggy - the decipherment of Luwian hieroglyphics is still ongoing.
For the Hellenistic Age it is clear that the syncretism arising from the Greek, native Anatolian and Persian influence gave rise to a rich cultural mix and that the Hellenistic Kingdoms (who claimed ancestry from Cyrus, Darius & Alexander) acknowledged Mithras as Apollo-Mithras-Helios-Hermes.
The native Carian dynasty, the Hekatomnids, were appointed Persian satraps for south west Anatolia, adopted Persian monumental architecture (at Labraunda) where they also conducted sacred banquets in purpose built Andron (which are neither a Greek nor a Roman tradition) and whose layout is identical to the later mithraea of the Roman Empire.
As far as the transmission of the cult to Rome goes I agree that this was entirely due to the Parthian king, Tiridates I, soujourn in Rome under Nero in 66 CE.
I conjecture that the introduction of the cult to the Roman elite was part of the process of underwriting the political settlement between Rome and Parthia over Armenia - Mitra / Mithras was, after all, the god of treaties and agreements par excellence.
That said we still have the early attestation concerning the Cilician pirates celebrating secret mystery rites of Mithras in the first century BCE.
Beneath all of these ’royal’ goings on we know that trade routes connected vast swathes of the Near/Middle East with Europe and Asia and as far as Afghanistan - how early? Certainly by the Bronze Age; but if the evidence of the Amber, Lapis Lazuli and Obsidian trades are anything to go by long, long before.
So yes, the Cult of Mithras was introduced to the Roman elite by the Parthian King of Armenia - but the roots and question of ultimate origins remain far from clear.
I do hope that you enjoy the book - hopefully it will (fingers crossed) be emerging from the printers in the next week or so.
Thank you for taking an interest in my work, I do hope that you find the book of interest.
Depuis la première moitié du XIXe siècle et encore tout récemment, on a retrouvé dans des tombes de Grande Grèce, de Crète ou de Thessalie, des lamelles d'or, très fines, datables du IVe au IIe siècle av. J.-C.
Batava Auxiliary Units where stationed at Xanten and Kalkar until they where transfered in disgrace (after the Batava uprising 69/70AD) to the Vindolanda area.
I was just checking the connection and if the same Batavian Cohort had maybe built and used the two temples and had maybe brought the cult to the area of north England
I have been pleasantly surprised to read this inscription proving a Betavian connection to Mitras at Carrawburgh.
The Altar found at Kalkar (not in situ.) is unfortunately dated after the official exodus of the Batavians although the Temple itself has not been found or excavated and the founding of the temple could possibly of an earlier date!