Tauroctony from Ruše

TNMM 710 ↔ CIMRM 1447 & 1448

White marble relief (H. 0.76 Br. 1.10 D.0.17), now in the Castle of Fala at the Drave. The relief was found in 1845 on the bank of the Drave, east of the small river Rast, which here runs into the Drave. The following monuments are from the same findspot in Ruse (Maria Rast). Therefore it is highly probable that here a Mithraeum existed.

Mithras as a bullkiller in a grotto-like niche. The serpent, dog and scorpion are present, but the raven is no longer visible. On either side a torchbearer in a separate niche with triangular front: Cautes (r) and Cautopates (l) not crosslegged. They stand on bases: Sol and Luna are not represented. Beside Mithras there is an inscription:

CIMRM 1448

L.H. 0.025.

M(arcus) Porcius / Verus / proc(urator) Aug(usti) / me / pos/uit.

Unlike M. B. Peak in Studies in Classical Philology IV, 176; 183 Hoffiler does not regard M. Porcius Verus as a contemporary of Antoninus Pius; and the latter’s conviction seems to be born out by the fact that the coins date from the time of Maximinus Thrax to Diocletianus. He apparently belonged to those procurators who no longer held any stadtholder authority after the time of Marcus Aurelius.