The Cult of Mithras in Late Antiquity. Development, Decline and Demise ca. A.D. 270-430

In The Cult of Mithras in Late Antiquity David Walsh explores how the cult of Mithras developed across the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. and why by the early 5th century the cult had completely disappeared. Contrary to the traditional narrative that the cult was violently persecuted out of existence by Christians, Walsh demonstrates that the cult’s decline was a far more gradual process that resulted from a variety of factors. He also challenges the popular image of the cult as a monolithic entity, highlighting how by the 4th century Mithras had come to mean different things to different people in different places.

Introduction
 Religious Change in Late Antiquity: Changing Scholarly Views
 The Cult of Mithras: A Brief Introduction
 The Cult of Mithras in Late Antiquity: Changing Scholarly Views
 The Structure of This Volume
 Selecting the Evidence
 A Note on Terminology

1 The Development of the Cult of Mithras in Late Antiquity
 The Location of Mithraea
 Mithraic Architecture
 Mithraic Iconography
 Patronage and Membership
 Mithraic Hierarchies
 Ritual Practice

 Variations of the Name ‘Mithras’
 Conclusion

2 The Decline of the Cult I: The Evidence
 Introduction
 The Decline in Construction/Restoration of Mithraea
 Mithraea and Wider Patterns of Construction and Repair in Late Antiquity
 Charting the Declining Use of Individual Mithraea
 Conclusion

3 The Decline of the Cult Part 2: Explaining the Decline
 Introduction
 Declining Populations
 Changing Social Networks
 Changes in Mithraic Rituals
 Coercion by the Imperial Government
 Conclusion

4 The Fate of Mithraea
 Introduction
 Geographical and Chronological Variation in the Fate of Mithraea
 Factors Contributing to the Fate of Mithraea
 Conclusion

Conclusion
Appendix A: Gazetteer of Mithraea Active in the 4th c. and Those That Exhibit Evidence of Christian Iconoclasm
 A Britain
 B. Germany
 C. Noricum
 D. Pannonia
 E. Dalmatia
 F. Italy (Excluding Rome and Ostia)
 G. Gaul
 H. Spain
 I. North Africa
 J. The Eastern Mediterranean
Appendix B: Mithraea Constructed and Repaired ca. AD 201–400