Tauroctony on display in Boston

This relief shows an important scene from the life of Mithras, a god of Iranian origin whose cult had established itself in the Roman world by the second century A.D. The slaying of the bull terminated the god's heroic labors and served as the central image in the cults sanctuaries (known as mithraea). Mithras is shown here plunging a short sword into the bull's throat. He wears oriental costume, a belted tunic with overfold, tight sleeves, trousers, boots, and a short cloak fastened by a large round brooch.