Biography
of Gaius Cassius Flavianus
- Gaius Cassius Flavianus is attested as a member of a Mithraic community (syndexios) at the Mithraeum of Inveresk.
- Attested in service with the Legio XX Valeria Victrix.
- Attested in 140 – 165.
- Attested at Inveresk, Britannia inferior, Britannia in 140 – 150 (TNMM 459 and TNMM 460).
TNMP 62
Gaius Cas(…) Fla(…), conventionally reconstructed as Gaius Cassius Flavianus, was a Roman citizen and centurion attested at Inveresk in Scotland in the 140s CE (Hunter, Henig & Sauer 2016; Coombe & Henig 2020). He probably served with Legio XX Valeria Victrix, an attribution based principally on the distinctive lettering of his inscriptions and stylistic links with sculptors associated with that legion.
He dedicated two altars discovered in the Mithraeum of Inveresk, one to Sol and another to Deus Invictus Mithras (TNMM 459; TNMM 460). The latter combines Mithraic imagery with attributes of Apollo, including a lyre, plectrum, griffin and raven. Coombe and Henig interpret this unusual iconography as evidence for a particularly fluid relationship between Mithras, Sol and Apollo at Inveresk, and suggest that Apollo, perhaps specifically Apollo Grannus, may have been regarded there as essentially the same deity as Mithras.
His precise command at Inveresk is unknown. He may have commanded the garrison or a legionary detachment (Hunter, Henig & Sauer 2016).
References
- Current Archaeology (2014) Bodyguards, corpses, and cults.
- Hunter, F, Henig, M & Sauer, E (2016) Mithras in Scotland: A Mithraeum at Inveresk (East Lothian), Britannia, vol. 46, pp. 1-50.
- Jessica Bowen (2026) Ancient Roman altars found in Scotland to go on display.
- Mariana Egri & Matthew M. McCarty (2020) The Archaeology of Mithraism. New Finds and Approaches to Mithras-Worship, pp. 23–34.
- Philippe Roy & Laurent Bricault (2021) Les cultes de Mithra dans l’Empire romain.
Attestations
Altar of Inveresk with a griffin
TNMM 460
This second altar discovered to date near Inveresk includes several elements unusual in Mithraic worship.
Altar with openwork of Inveresk
TNMM 459
The altar of Sol from Inveresk, Scotland, was pierced, probably to illuminate part of the temple with a particular effect.
Mithraeum of Inveresk
TNMM 331
The Mithraeum of Inveresk, south of Musselburgh, East Lothian, is the first found in Scotland, and the earliest securely dated example from Britain.
