Mysterious ritual cult of Mithra

Mysterious ritual cult of Mithra

The power of the gods that gave rise to important Roman culture remains a mystery from ancient times The mysterious rituals of the ancient Roman gods One of the most important and interesting religions to this day the religion of Mithra also known as the Mystery of Mithra or the Cult of Mithra is a Roman mystery religion The cult was centered in Rome and consisted of a number of underground temples that still survive Inspired by the worship of the god Zoroastrianism it is associated with a strange and distinctive image The continuity between Persian and Greco-Roman traditions is still debated with a mystery among the Roman army from the 1st to the 4th centuries The Roman cult of Mithras. Beliefs related to this matter are still very little in the ancient history of the cult of Eubulos and Pallas which are lost. 4 The name of the god was given to Mithra

The architecture of the temple of Mithra indicates that Mithra was worshiped in the cave of the rock Mithraum a replica of the cave where Mithra once killed the bull The form of the chamber consists of a central passage and two raised platforms The legend of this cult is confirmed by literary sources In Latin monuments although Mithra may have been used in Greek it is mainly seen in the images of ancient temples It is certain that Mithra was born from the rock 2 His image appears in his temple The hunting and killing of bulls in the Toroctonian rite. The unique underground temple or Mithraeia suddenly appeared in archaeology in the last quarter of the 19th century The Mysteries of Mithra In ancient times, texts and adherents of the cult were called the Persian Mysteries They had very vague connections to Persia and were not practiced until the 18th century

A large number of archaeological finds including meeting places monuments and artifacts have contributed significantly to the modern knowledge of Mithraism throughout the Roman Empire Mithraism was seen as a rival to early Christianity in the 4th century Mithraism faced persecution from Christians and was suppressed and eliminated from the Roman Empire by the end of the century Mithraism was seen as a rival to early Christianity in the 4th century. 

Mosaic with a sword, a moon crescent, Hesperos/Phosphoros and a pruning knife, 2nd century AD. 

These were the symbols of the 5th level of cult initiation.

Mithraism faced persecution from Christians and was suppressed and eliminated from the Roman Empire by the end of the century. A distinctive feature of the Mithraum was the naked lion-headed figure sometimes found in Mithraic temples 34 The horns were coiled around the head, with the snake's head often resting on the lion's head The lion's mouth was often open and the horns were often depicted with four wings Two keys and a scepter are in hand Sometimes the figure stands on a globe carved into a slanted cross. Statues with human heads are rarer although animal-headed figures are common in Egyptian mythology and contemporary Gnosticism

In the Piazza del Boccadella Verita several meters below the present level one of the most reminiscent underground sites in Rome is the Mithraeum part of a large public building built in the 2nd or 3rd centuries The small rooms of the Circus Maximus can be seen nearby The Mithraeum is located on Via dell'Ara Massima di Ercole near the Forum Holitoreum and Forum Boarium across the street from the Circus Maximus which was later built on a Roman building.

Relief stele depicting King Antiochus I and Apollo/

Epekoos, find spot: Sofraz Koy. Archaeological Museum, Gaziantep.

The Mithraeum one of the largest and most complex of the structures discovered has four other rooms each with a central opening and a large arch above the central opening These were benches for the participants as this was a mysterious ritual Only the right side of the two small rooms on the left were there In front of the door are two edicules and two arches On the right side is a large pottery vessel buried probably for offerings and possibly for the blood of sacrificial animals

The main entrance is probably to the east The passage is now accessible through a small entrance. From the next room there is a door leading into the temple with a small room with an aisle on the right called the vestibulum Two large staircases on the circus side leading to the upper floor run the entire length of the building. The staircase which overlooks several small rooms was added in the 2nd century. In the 3rd century some of the rooms of the building were altered to accommodate a mithraeum The floor in this first part was built in the time of Diocletian with two large square brick legs Within the walls of the great hall are two arches with marble bases Five parallel rectangular rooms are connected

Coin of Artabanus II of Parthia (c. 128–124 BC). The Hellenistic depiction on the reverse shows the king kneeling before an Apollo-like god

which is thought to be Mithra.

A full reference is needed. No written narratives or theology of this religion have survived Limited information is available from inscriptions and brief or passing references in Greek and Latin literature The interpretation of the physical evidence remains problematic and controversial The symbolism of Mithra the Bull-Slaughtering Stone shows him being born from a Bull-Slaughtering Stone and feasting with the sun god Saul There are about 420 archaeological sites that provide evidence related to this cult  Among the items found are about 1,000 inscriptions 700 examples of bull-slaughter scenes 

The worshipers of Mithra had seven levels of complexity and communion The participants in the Eucharist were called Syndesioi meaning those "united by handshake.They met in Mithraea and were popular throughout the western half of the empire as far south as Roman Africa and Numidia as far east as Roman Dacia and as far north as Roman Britain. About 400 other artifacts are estimated to have been found in Rome