Archaeology and the Myth of Mithras
How Reliefs and Frescos Preserve Stories and Myths of Mithraism
Jan 8, 2009
There are very few texts left that tell us anything about the god Mithras and the mythology that surrounds him. Archaeology provides some of the answers through the scenes depicted in the Mithraea of the Roman period.
Who was Mithras?
Mitra is the Sanskrit name for the Indo-Iranian deity who became known as Mithras. His name is mentioned in written texts as early as 1400BC. His name appears in treaties where he was evoked to make them binding. One instance of this is a cuneiform tablet record of a treaty between the Hittites and Mitanni in the 15th century BC. A Verdic hymn dedicated to Mitra depicts the god as deity of heavenly light, battles and victory.
Evidence of this nature has led historians and archaeologists to deduce that Mithras’s earliest function was as a god of compacts, the sun, battles and justice. These early references are fleeting and do not preserve any of the earliest myths of the god which flesh out the story of Mitra. For this we have to turn to archaeological evidence of the Roman period when Mitra became Mithras.
Mithraea and the Myth of Mithras
By the late Roman era, worship of Mithras took place in underground temples called Mithraea.Over 400 Mithraea are known. Many contain frescos and sculptures that help define the key mythical episodes surrounding Mithras. Whilst providing an idea of the stories surrounding the god, without written records these scenes are not always easy to decipher. They are also later Roman interpretations of original myths that are now lost.
- The Birth of Mithras. Reliefs show Mithras born out of a rock with a knife in one hand and a torch in another.
- Mithras and the Bull. Often the focus of Mithraea. Generally interpreted as following his birth, Mithras, on the orders of the sun god, undertakes to hunt the celestial bull. Accompanying him are a dog, snake, raven and scorpion as well as two minor deities of Persian origin judging by their clothes, known as Cautes and Cautipates. One carries a raised torch and the other an inverted torch. Scenes showing the killing of the bull show Mithras sitting on its back and plunging a knife into its flank. The bull’s tale changed into an ear of wheat. The myth seems to be linked to fertility and sacrifice. Examples of these reliefs can be found at a Mithraea at Capua and Frankfurt am Main-Heddernheim and at the mithraeum of Walbrook in London.
- Celebration with Sol. Found on the reverse of reliefs depicting the hunt for the bull, Mithras’s solar attributes are further reinforced by scenes showing him feasting with Sol in the aftermath of the bull killing. Mithras and the sun god then ascend together into heaven in Sol’s chariot.
Sources
Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth & Religion (2003) Ed Simon Price and Emily Kearns. Oxford University Press.
