Monumentum
Mosaics from Mitreo degli Animali
Several figures related to the Mysteries of Mithras are depicted on the mosaics of the Mithraeum of the Animals.
Naked man holding a knife and a shovel.
The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA)
A scorpion from the Mithraeum of the Animals.
The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA)
A snake with a comb from the Mithraeum of the Animals.
The bull's head and tail from the Mithraeum of the Animals.
The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA)
Central corridor of the Mitreo degli Animali.
The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA)
The New Mithraeum
10 Jul 2009
Updated on 24 May 2021
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On the floor, between the piers and the podia, is a black-and-white mosaic. It contains a marble threshold at the point where the podia begin. There are five depictions, from south to north:
- A naked man, holding a pruning knife and some sort of shovel. A few white tesserae suggest that the latter object is perforated. A similar symbol is found in the Mithraeum of Felicissimus, where it refers to the grade Leo. It was used to carry fire. The hair of the naked man may be the lion's mane. But in the Mithraeum of Felicissimus the knife refers to the grade Perses.