Mithras in Roman Dacia. Local Appropriations of a Universal God
The Roman cult of Mithras ranks among the ancient religious traditions that have left some of the most striking archaeological remains in Central and Eastern Europe. This volume examines the epigraphic and figurative evidence of the Roman cult of Mithras from the territory of the Roman province of Dacia (modern Romania) through a new and innovative methodology grounded in an interdisciplinary approach. Particular attention is devoted to the centuries-long historiographical tradition of Mithraic scholarship, contemporary developments in the archaeology of religion, and the phenomenon of religious glocalism. Within this framework, Mithras is analysed not merely as a universal and global deity within the religious landscape of the Roman Empire, but also as a glocal divinity actively shaped by local individuals and communities of Dacia.
The material evidence of the Roman cult of Mithras in Dacia – one of the shortest existing provinces of the Roman Empire – is significant: almost 300 stone monuments and several important sites are known. The material was first collected by Franz Cumont, later by Maarten Vermaseren and a recent catalogue was published by Gabriel Sicoe in 2014. The new volume published by Csaba Szabó as part of our research group is the first English monograph on the cult in Dacia and the first one which is focusing on religious glocality, social and detailed historiographic aspects of the research. It gives an updated list of the cultores Mithrae and an addendum to Sicoe’s catalogue as well.
The book was published at the Cambridge Scholars Publishing and will be presented in autumn.
