Aurelius Eutyches
Imperial slave who donated an altar to Mithras for the benefit of the emperor Caracalla.
Biography
of Aurelius Eutyches
- Aurelius Eutyches was a syndexios.
- Active c. 211 – 222 in Siscia, Pannonia superior (Pannonia).
TNMP 274
The altars of Siscia, where two Mithras reliefs also document the spread of the cult, date from the 3rd century. The reliefs are unique in their form, as they combine the bull-slaying scene, which is occasionally found in the Danube area, in a round frame with the usual rectangular shape.
The imperial slave Iucunclus, who built the portico and apparitorium of the Mithraeum, worked at the local customs office. This may have been the case for Aurelius Eutyches, who donated an altar to Mithras for the benefit of the emperor Caracalla; perhaps his release was the occasion for him to recommend his patronus to the god. The city slave who contributed a Cautes relief to the decoration of the shrine belonged to the same social class.
Aurelius Eutyches dedicated an altar to Sol invictus Mithras for the well-being of either Caracalla or Elagabalus (AD 211-222). His Greek cognomen may indicate his origin in one of the eastern provinces, which would be in accordance with the eastern origin of the cult of Mithras.
References
- Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss / Slaby. Altar by Aurelius Eutyches from Siscia in EDCS
- Manfred Clauss (1992) Cultores Mithrae. Die Anhangerschaft Des Mithras-Kultes
- Marjeta Šašel Kos (2018) ‘The residents of Siscia. A population study.’ Epigraphica, LXXX, 1-2, 265-321.
Mentions
Altar by Aurelius Eutyches from Siscia
TNMM 783
This altar, dedicated to Sol Invictus Mithras by a certain Eutyches for the health of the Emperor Caracalla, was found in Sisak, Croatia, in 1899.