Zodiac signs on the Mitreo delle Sette Sfere

The New Mithraeum

18 Sep 2023

Updated on May 2026

TNMM 610 ↔ CIMRM 242

On the projecting ledges of the benches the signs of the Zodiac are represented, above each of which is a star. On the r. bench those of the winter-months: Wega [Libra] (a) - Scorpio (b) - Sagittarius (c) - Capricornus (d) - Aquarius (e) - Pisces (f) - and on the l. bench those of the summer-months: Aries (g) - Taurus (h) - Gemini (i) - Cancer (k) - Leo (I) - Virgo (m); the first and the last two are partly or completely lost.

CIMRM II 242

Read Libra instead of Wega.

References

Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef (1956) Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae

Related monuments

Mitreo delle Sette Sfere

The Mithraeum of the Seven Spheres (Sette Sfere) is of great importance for the understanding of the cult, because of its black-and-white mosaics depicting the planets, the zodiac and related elements.

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Inscription found in the Mitreo delle Sette Sfere

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Inscription of Tellius Agatho in Mitreo delle Sette Sfere

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Mosaic of Cautes and Cautopates in the Mitreo delle Sette Sfere

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Bench mosaics of the Mitreo delle Sette Sfere

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