Proposal of a Mithraic ritual based on archaeological remains
This study explores the internal logic of Mithraic ritual through a close reading of archaeological contexts, frescoes, and reliefs from several key mithraea, including those of Ostia, Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Ponza, and the Barberini complex in Rome. By correlating spatial organisation, iconographic programs, and ancient testimonies (notably Porphyry and Platonic tradition), the article argues that the mithraeum functioned as a ritualised cosmogram in which zodiacal time, solstitial axes, and planetary powers structured both liturgy and doctrine.
The author proposes that Mithraic theology centred on a dual circulation of souls: a lunar path of descent associated with generation and reincarnation, and a solar path of ascent linked to purification and resurrection. The seven grades of initiation are interpreted as occupying precise positions within this cosmological architecture, each performing a specific role in the ritual “mechanism” governing the soul’s journey. Through this model, Mithraism emerges as a highly coherent initiatory system in which architecture, image, and ritual action jointly articulate a soteriology rooted in Stoic and Platonic cosmology.
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