Marble relief fragments from the cult niche of the Mitreo della Planta Pedis

TNMM 930 ↔ CIMRM 274

Fragments of a marble relief, which decorated the cult niche.

Becatti, 82f and Pl. XVI, 3.

Fragments of a representation of Mithras as a bullkiller, of which only two side parts have been preserved. Bust of Sol in radiate crown (traces of a red colour), a small part of the border of the grotto and the tail of the raven (H. 0.17 Br. 0.20); another fragment shows the bust of Luna in crescent and a part of the rocky border (traces of red).

It is clear, that the relief originally belonged to the first period of the Mithraeum but in constructing the new cult niche in the time of Valerian (No. 277) the Mithraists themselves reduced the proportion of the relief by cutting away its upper part and its side parts (Becatti, 82).