Monumentum
Intaglio of chalcedony at the BnF
This intaglio depicting Mithras killing the bull is preserved at the Bibliothèque national de France.
The New Mithraeum
23 May 2021
Updated on 2 Nov 2022
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Mithras sacrificing the bull in the cave. The god, wearing the tiara or Phrygian cap, the floating cloak, a short tunic and anaxyrides, grasps with one hand the bull's nose which he has struck down and which he presses with his knee, and with his left hand plunges a knife into its neck.
Behind the bull stands a priest, or Phosphoros, dressed like the god, except for the cloak, holding two overturned torches. A scorpion and a snake crawl under the victim. Above Mithras, a radiated bust of the sun, the crescent moon and a moon and a raven.
Behind the bull stands a priest, or Phosphoros, dressed like the god, except for the cloak, holding two overturned torches. A scorpion and a snake crawl under the victim. Above Mithras, a radiated bust of the sun, the crescent moon and a moon and a raven.