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Mithras in Italia

Roman Italia preserves a central and exceptionally influential corpus within the development of Mithraic cults.

The Mithraic evidence documented in Roman Italia occupies a central position in the history of the cult, particularly through the extraordinary concentration of material preserved in Rome and Ostia. The region illustrates the integration of Mithraic communities within the political, commercial and social environments of the imperial capital and its wider Italian networks.

Mithraic monuments of Italia

 

Mitreo di San Clemente

The Mithraeum under the Basilica of San Clemente made part of a notable Roman house.

CIMRM 338

 

Mitreo di Santa Maria Capua Vetere

The Mithraeum of Santa Maria Capua Vetere preserves a remarkable series of frescoes depicting scenes from the initiation rites.

CIMRM 180

 

Mitreo di Santa Prisca

The Mithraeum of Santa Prisca houses remarkable frescoes showing the initiates in procession.

CIMRM 476

 

Mithraeum of the Baths of Caracalla

The Mitreo delle terme di Caracalla is one of the largest temples dedicated to Mithras ever found in Rome.

CIMRM 457

 

Relief of Aion-Phanes

The Aion / Phanes relief, currently on display in the Gallerie Estensi, Moneda, is associated with two Eastern mysteric religions: Mithraism and Orphism.

CIMRM 695

 

Mitreo di Felicissimo

The Mithraeum Felicissimus has a floor mosaic depicting the seven mithraic grades.

CIMRM 299

 

Mitreo del Circo Massimo

The Mithraeum of the Circus Maximus was discovered in 1931 during work carried out to create a storage area for the scenes and costumes of the Opera House within the Museums of Rome building.

CIMRM 434

 

Aion of Villa Albani

White marble statue of Lion-head god of time, formerly in the Villa Albani, nowadays in the Musei Vaticani.

CIMRM 545

 

Tauroctony 593

This is the earliest sculpture of Mithras killing the bull known to date.

CIMRM 593

 

Tauroctony in the British Museum

The sculpture of Mithras slaying the bull was transported from Rome to London by Charles Standish in 1815.

CIMRM 592

 

Mitreo delle Sette Sfere

The Mithraeum of the Seven Spheres (Sette Sfere) is of great importance for the understanding of the cult, because of its black-and-white mosaics depicting the planets, the zodiac and related elements.

CIMRM 239

 

Mitreo di Santo Stefano Rotondo

The Mitreo dei Castra Peregrinorum was discovered under the church of Santo Stefano Rotondo in Rome.

See all Mithraicmonuments in Italia

Places in Italia

 

Roma

Archaeological evidence shows that the area around Rome has been inhabited since around 14,000 years ago. Excavations support the theory that Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill, which was built over the area of the Roman Forum.

 

Aenaria

Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

 

Antium

Antium was an ancient coastal settlement in Latium, founded around the 11th century BC. A major stronghold of the Volsci before its conquest by Rome, its territory largely corresponds to modern Anzio and Nettuno.

 

Aquileia

Aquileia, now a small municipality in north-eastern Italy, was one of the largest cities in the world in the 2nd century AD, with a population of 100,000.

 

Aveia Vestina

Aveia was an ancient town of the Vestini and Roman former bishopric, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see.

 

Bergomum

Bergamo is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately 40 km northeast of Milan, and about 30 km from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como and Iseo and 70 km from Garda and Maggiore.

 

Bononia

Bologna is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy.

 

Caere

Caere is the Latin name given by the Romans to one of the larger cities of southern Etruria, modern Cerveteri, some 50-60 kilometres north-west of Rome.

 

Cales

Cales was an ancient city of Campania, in today's comune of Calvi Risorta in southern Italy, belonging originally to the Aurunci/Ausoni, on the Via Latina.

 

Capreae

Capri is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy.

 

Capua

Capua is currently a city and comune in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain.

 

Carsulae

Carsulae was a Roman municipium in the region of Umbria, now preserved as an archaeological site, about 4 km north of the small town of San Gemini. Its foundation dates back to 220 BC with the construction of the Via Flaminia.

See all Mithraic sites in Italia

Inscriptions from Italia

Relief of Aion-Phanes

Euphrosy/n[e] et Felix. P[ecunia] p[osuit] / Felix pater.
Euphrosyne and Felix. Felix, pater, set (this) up at his own expense.

Mitreo di Felicissimo

Felicissimvs / ex voto f[ecit]
Felicissimus made [this] in fulfilment of a vow.

Tauroctony 593

Alcimus T. Cl[audi] Liviani ser[vus] vilic[us] S[oli] M[ithrae] v[otum] s[olvit] d[onum] d[edit]
Alcimus, slave and bailiff of Tiberius Claudius Livianus, gave this as a gift to the sun-god Mithras in fulfilment of a vow.

Altar from Mitreo di San Clemente

Cn[aeus] Arrius Claudianus / pater posuit.
Pater Cnaeus Arrius Claudianus placed.

Procession Fresco from Santa Prisca

Nama [patribus] / ab oriente / ad occidente[m] / tutela Saturni. [Na]ma H[eliodromis] / tute[l]a S[ol]is. [Na]ma Persis / tutela [Mer]curis. Nama L[e]on[i]b[us] j tutela Iovis. Nama Militibus j tutela Mart[is]. Nama Nym[phis] j tutjela Veneris. [Nama coracibus tutla Lunae].
Honor to the Patres, from the east to the west, under the protection of Saturn. Honor to the Heliodromi, under the protection of the Sun. Honor to the Persae, under the protection of Mercurius. Honor to the Leones, under the protection of Jupiter. Honor to the Militares, under the protection of Mars. Honor to the Nymphi, under the protection of Venus. Honor to the Coraces, under the protection of Luna.

Mosaic of the Mitreo di Felicissimo

FELICISSIMVS / EX VOTO F[ecit].
Felicissimus fulfilled his vow.

Slab of Sol Invictus

Soli invicto / pro salute imp[eratorum] / et genio n[umeri] / eq[uitum] sing[ula- rium] / eorum M. Ulp[ius] / Chresimus sace[rd[os]] / Iovis Dolich[eni] / v[otum] s[olvit] l[ibens] l[aetus] [m[erito]]
Dedicated to Sol Invictus and to the Genius of the Imperial Batavian horseguards [equites singulares] for the emperors' health, by M. Ulpius Chresimus, priest of Jupiter Dolichenus

Aion of Mitreo Fagan

C. Valeri/us Heracles pat[er] / et C[aii] Valerii / Vitalis et Nico/mes sacerdo/tes s[ua] p[e]c[unia] p[o]s[ue]r[unt]. / D[e]d[icatum] idi[bus] aug[ustis] im[peratore] / Com[odo] / VI et / Septi/miano / co[n]s[ulibus].
Gaius Valerius Heracles, father, and Gaius Valerius Vitalis and Gaius Valerius Nicome[de]s, priests, laid at their own expense. [Statue] dedicated on the ides of August, under the consulates of Emperor Commodus for the sixth time and Septimianus.

Tauroctony from Nesce

Apronianus rei p[ublicae] ark[arius] sua pecunia fecit.
Apronianus, public treasurer, at his own expense made.

Tauroctony from the Mitreo delle terme di Mitra

Κρίτων / Ἀθηναιος / έποίει.
Kriton the Athenian made [this].

Tauroctony from the Villa Borghese

Nama Sebesio. / Deo Soli invict[o] Mitrhe [sic!] / C[aii] Aufidii Ianuarius [et…] Nam/a/ ne CS
Tribute to Sebesius.
To the invincible Sol god Mithras. Caius Aufidius Ianuarius [and Caius Aufidius ---].

Frescoes of lions at Santa Prisca

Nama Nicephoro leoni; nama Theodoro leoni.
Nama Hel[io]doro leoni; Nama Gelasio leoni; Nama Phoebo leoni.
Tribute to Nicephoros, Lion; Tribute to Theodoros, Lion.
Tribute to Heliodoros, Lion; Tribute to Gelasios, Lion; Tribute to Poebus, Lion.

See all Mithraicinscriptions from Italia

References

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