The New Mithraeum Database

Nida was an ancient Roman town in the area today occupied by the northwestern suburbs of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, specifically Frankfurt-Heddernheim, on the edge of the Wetterau region.

Since 1826, four mithraea have been found at Nida-Heddernheim.

This lion-headed figure from Nida, present-day Frankfurt-Heddernheim, holds a key and a shovel in his hands.

The key of Nida's Mithraeum III was decorated with a lion's head.

The Mithraic stele from Nida depicts the Mithras Petrogenesis and the gods Cautes, Cautopates, Heaven and Ocean.

The Mithraic vase from Ballplatz in Mainz depicts seven figures arranged in two narrative sequences, commonly interpreted in relation to initiation rites.

The relief of Mithras slaying the bull from Nida's Mithraeum III was found in two pieces in 1887, destroyed during an air raid on Frankfurt in 1944, and restored in 1986.

The two companions of Mithras carry a torch and a shepherd's staff at the third Mithraeum in Frankfurt-Heddernheim, formerly Nida.

The lion-headed statue of Hedderneheim is a reconstruction from fragments of two different sculptures.

This relief is so well-known that it has been reproduced in nearly every handbook of archaeology and of history of religions.

This Cautopates from Nida carries the usual downward torch in his right hand and a hooked stick in his left.

First Mithraic sanctuary discovered at Heddernheim (ancient Nida) in 1826, with finds preserved in the Städtisches Museum at Wiesbaden.

Fragment of a sandstone relief from Nida-Heddernheim depicting the torchbearer Cautopates.

Second Mithraic sanctuary discovered in 1826 some 150 metres west of Mithraeum I at Heddernheim, ancient Nida, with finds in the Wiesbaden museum.

Wiesbaden is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main.

Three European museums celebrate Mithras with a continental exhibition featuring more than 200 works of art from Roman times to the present day.

Sandstone fragment from Mithraeum I at Heddernheim, ancient Nida, probably the damaged head of a torchbearer, often misidentified as Mercury.

Assemblage of lamps, keys, torches, an iron knife, pottery, glass fragments, and five coins from Mithraeum III at Heddernheim, ancient Nida

Fragments of a white marble arched tauroctony from Mithraeum III at Heddernheim, ancient Nida, showing Mithras killing the bull in a leaf wreath

Third Mithraic sanctuary found north-west of the cemetery at Heddernheim, ancient Nida, in 1887 and fully excavated by G. Wolff in 1890