Biography
of Statius Ursus
- Statius Ursus is attested as a member of a Mithraic community (syndexios).
- Attested in the late 3rd century.
- Attested in Proložac, Dalmatia in late 3rd century (TNMM 304).
TNMP 97
Statius Ursus was a Mithraic worshipper from Roman Dalmatia, probably of local origin. He is known only through an inscription from Proložac Donji, where he appears together with his son, Statius Ursinus.
The two men fulfilled a vow to Mithras Invictus by setting up a double-sided relief depicting episodes from the Mithraic narrative. The formula pater et filius establishes their relationship explicitly, providing an example of Mithraic participation within the same family. Silnović (2024) cites Ursus and Ursinus in discussing the role that familial, as well as professional, connections may have played in the spread of the cult in Dalmatia.
References
Attestations
Mithraic meal from Proložac, Croatia
TNMM 304
Mithras and Sol share a sacred meal accompanied by Cautes and Cautopates on a relief found in a cemetery from Croatia.
