Mithraeum of Cyrene

TNMM 417

A colony of the Greeks of Thera, Cyrene was one of the principal cities in the Hellenic world. Romanized in 74 BC it remained a great capital until the earthquake of 365. A thousand years of history is written into its ruins, which have been famous since the 18th century.

A mithraeum has been found among the ruins.

The Apollonian priests of Cyrene gathered in a collegium, which organized different activities, among which were the shared, or common, meals. They used a large cave as a dining room, close to the temple of Apollo. This cave is known mostly through its remodeling, following the Jewish revolt, under Trajan. This architectural complex preserves remains of water basins and has been interpreted as a Mithraeum because of several features. However, Richard Gordon has correctly shown that it was a peculiar triclinium, created within the cave for meetings and banquets for Apollonian priests.