Tauroctony relief from Şehitkamil (Gaziantep)

TNMM 1388

This Mithraic relief from the ancient city of Zeugma, depicting the god Mithras in the act of killing the bull, was discovered in 2015 near At Meydani, within what was once the Roman military zone. Carved from fine-grained marble in bluish-beige to white tones, the slab measures approximately 33.5 by 38.3 cm and offers a highly standardised but well-preserved representation of Mithraic iconography.

Mithras is portrayed kneeling over the bull in dynamic motion, in line with the canonical composition of the tauroctony. A radiant nimbus encircles his head. The relief also includes the torchbearers Cautes and Cautopates, who typically flank Mithras and symbolize the dual principles of ascent and descent, life and death, or cosmic balance. In the corners of the composition are medallions likely representing Helios and Selene, the personifications of the sun and moon, contributing to the astral dimension often present in Mithraic imagery. Above the central scene are seven small altars entwined with what appear to be stylized trees or branches.

Traces of red pigment remain on Mithras’ clothing, the bull’s wound, and the flames rising from the altars, indicating that the relief was originally painted, in keeping with the polychrome tradition found in some Mithraic contexts, such as those at Dura-Europos. As the first known Mithraic artifact unearthed in Zeugma, the relief is particularly significant. It points to the likely presence of a mithraeum nearby, potentially still buried.

The find strengthens the case for Mithraic worship among the soldiers of Legio IV Scythica, who were stationed at Zeugma during the Roman Imperial period. This discovery not only broadens the geographic footprint of Mithraism in Anatolia but also underscores its integration into military life and frontier society. As Zeugma served as a major crossing point on the Euphrates and a hub of Roman administration and logistics, the presence of a Mithraic cult there would affirm the cult’s alignment with martial values and its resonance in strategically important provincial centres.

Further excavations may yet reveal the architectural remains of a mithraeum, offering deeper insight into local religious practices and the adaptation of Roman mystery cults in the eastern provinces.