Andreu Abuín

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.

Sorry Behzad Bolour (correct spelling)

Dear Behzad, You are, of course quite right. 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. Very best, Peter Mark Adams Author

I am a devotee of Mithras Thank you for this interview. I think the author is right when he highlights that Roman Mithras is very different to Persian Mitra. Mithras is born mighty from birth and with a connection to His Father. The rock is a symbol of prowess and His Father is Sol. The main rite was centered on celebration of Mithras,’ victory over the bull, the bull which in Rome was similar to a dragon or an animal which normal people cant slay.

Having just visited Frankfurt, and feeling like I missed the exhibition "by this much," I was quite frustrated that I was unable to purchase an exhibition catalogue in English. Let me gently encourage you to make that available. My PhD is in Jungian Studies, and I think a few academic Jungian sorts would likewise be interested. PS: I worked with Thomas Gaehtgens in the Visiting Scholars program at the Getty Research Institute.

The so-called Elephant Tomb was not a tomb. The data that support its character as a mithraeum derive from its formal characteristics: A room divided into three parts, presided by a chapel, subway, with a water fountain. These are characteristics that formally define a mithraeum. In addition, it has a window that directs the sun's rays into the center of the chamber at the equinoxes three hours after sunrise. In spring, at that time, Taurus would emerge over the horizon. This same configuration is observed in Hawarte whose window allowed the sun's rays to point to the altar during the winter solstice, two hours before sunset. At that time, Taurus emerged over the horizon. One cannot call a proposal extravagant just because one does not know the basic principles of archaeoastronomy or building archaeology.

A chara, Any chance of an English translation of El Culto de Mitra en Hispania? If all else fails I’ll work my way slowly through it with my diccionario. Meanwhile, I’m struck by some similarities between the Mithraic Mysteries and Irish Druidism, particularly the tairbhfeis roughly translated as the "bull feast" or "bull sleep". The slaughter of a bull was involved. Rites of kingship applied but also when in search of visions, the Druid/Druidess would wrap themselves in a bull hide and sleep within the dark caves of the ancient mounds (built pre Druidic religion). Many of the mounds were constructed to face the sun. The mound at Brugh na Boinne has a ’roof box’ over the entrance which allows for the sun’s rays of the winter solstice to strike the central chamber. O.R.

I'd have liked to see the face of the carabinieri when they discovered the sculpture.

Love the picture of both guys besides the statue. Aren't they called Cautes and Cautopates by a chance?