Altar by Paterna from Rheder

Altar found at Rheder near Bonn. Bonn, Rheinisches Landesmuseum.CIL XIII, 7958/9; MMM II No. 459; Lehner, St., 220.L.H. 0.015–0.017.D(eo) i(nvicto) M(ithrae) Fir/mino vo/tum refe/ret Ius/tini Pat/erna / v . . .Firmino: pro salute Firmini (Hettner, Catal., 71).The Rheder altar has attracted particular attention in modern discussions concerning women and Mithraism. Chalupa (2005) identified it as the strongest epigraphic evidence for a woman making a dedication directly to Mithras, noting that Paterna is the only securely attested female dedicator whose inscription explicitly names Deus Invictus Mithras…