Tauroctony from the Collezione Torlonia
TNMM 793 ↔ CIMRM 408 & 409
Relief of Greek marble (H. 0.59 Br. 2.05). Rome, Museo Torlonia (I have not been able to study this monument as it seems impossible to have access to this private collection). Found "prope rudera Turris Mesae, quae anonnullis ad Solis templum ab Aureliano extructum refertur".
In a cave Mithras is killing the bull whose tail ends in ears. The dog and the serpent with their heads near the wound; the scorpion on the usual place. Cautopates is standing before a rock, against which a serpent is creeping upwards. Behind him a grazing ox. On the other side standing Cautes in Eastern attire, cross-legged. At his feet a scorpion with upraised tail (in Vignoli a bird with two leaves in its mouth). Above his head a pegasus.
Left of the raven, which is perched on Mithras’ cloak, another bird (a peacock with Visconti, a stork with de Hammer).
In the corners the busts of Sol in radiate crown and of Luna in crescent. On the relief itself and on the lower rim an inscr.
CIMRM 409
a) Soli invicto / L(ucius) Aur(elius) Severus / cum paremboli(s) / et [h]ypobasi / voto fecit.
b) [Soli i]nvicto / Mithrae [f]ec(it) L(ucius) Aur(elius) Severus Pra[es(idente) L(ucio)] Domitio Mar[cel]lino patr(e).
This spectacular Mithras-relief was discovered in 1705 in the vicinity of the ruins of the great Serapis Temple on the Quirinal.
Shortly after became part of private collections, first in the Colonna palace, later in the exquisite and hardly accessible Torlonia Collection.
The only photograph ever made on this relief was published in 1883 in the first catalogue of the Torlonia Collection.
Finally, I can see this spectacular object, thanks for a friend who took this photograph in the Louvre, where new pieces of the Torlonia Collection can be seen now.
The relief seems to be the "usual" representation of the tauroctony (killing the bull by Mithras), however as most of the Roman artifacts, this is also personalised and in many sense, unique: you can find there a cute Pegasus next to Sol and the inscription is also interesting.
The dedicants mention some architectural features of the sanctuary which was probably restored by them.
T Szabó Csaba
CIMRM II 409
Dessau, ILS 4205; Lugli, Fontes IV, 236 No. 241.
paremboli vel paremboli(s) and not paomboli(s) as Lugli remarks.
CIL VI 726
[Soli i]nvicto / Mithrae [f]ec[it] L[ucius] Aur[elius] Severus Pra[es[idente] L[ucio]] Domitio Mar[cel]lino patr[e].
To the Unconquered Sol Mithras, Lucius Aurelius Severus made this, under the presidency of Lucius Domitius Marcellinus, the Pater.
References
Vignoli 174; Montfaucon Ant. Expl. I (2) 382f and PI. 217 3; Hammer Mitkr. 80ff No. III and PI. III 1; Seel 217f and PI. Xlb; N. Müller Mithras fig. 6; Lajard Intr. PI. LXXXII 1; P. E. Visconti Mus. TorI. 104 No. 191; Zoega Abh. 149 No. 19; MMM II 195 No.8 and fig. 20. CIL VI 726; MMM II No. 30; CIL VI 30821.
- Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef (1956) Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae
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