Monumentum
Intaglio of chalcedony at the BnF
This intaglio depicting Mithras killing the bull is preserved at the Bibliothèque national de France.
Intaglio ring with Tauroctony
BnF
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.