cumont mysteries of mithra

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TheMysteriesOfMithrabyFranzCumont1903

translatedfromthesecondrevisedFrencheditionbyThomasJ.McCormackChicago,OpenCourt[1903]

Scanned at Sacred Texts.Com, February, 2003. J.B. Hare, redactor. This text is in the public

domain.Thisfilemaybeusedforanynoncommercialpurposeprovidedthisattributionis

leftintact.

TableofContents

ListofIllustrations

TheOriginsOfMithraism

TheDisseminationofMithraismintheRomanEmpire

MithraandtheImperialPowerofRome

TheDoctrineoftheMithraicMysteries

TheMithraicLiturgy,ClergyandDevotees

MithraismandtheReligionsoftheEmpire

MithraicArt

Index

PREFACETOTHEFRENCHEDITION

THE present work, in which we purpose to treat of the origin and history of the Mithraic

religion, does not pretend to offer a picture of the downfall of paganism. We shall not

attempt,eveninageneralway,toseekforthecauseswhichexplaintheestablishmentof

the Oriental religions in Italy; nor shall we endeavor to show how their doctrines, which

were far more active as fermenting agents than the theories of the philosophers,

decomposedthenationalbeliefsonwhichtheRomanstateandtheentirelifeofantiquityrested,andhowthedestructonoftheedificewhichtheyhaddisintegratedwasultimately

accomplishedby Christianity. We shall notundertake to trace here thevariousphases of

the battle waged between idolatry and the growing Church; this vast subject, which we

hopesomedaytoapproach,liesbeyondthescopeofthepresentwork.Weareconcerned

herewithoneepochonlyofthisdecisiverevolution,itbeingourpurposetoshowwithall

thedistinctnessinourpowerhowandwhyacertainMazdeansectfailedundertheCsars

tobecomethedominantreligionoftheempire.


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ThecivilizationoftheGreekshadneversucceeded inestablishing itselfamongthePersians,

and the Romans were no more successful in subjecting the Parthians to their sway. The

significantfactwhichdominatestheentirehistoryofHitherAsia isthatthe Iranianworld

andtheGrcoLatinworldremainedforeverunamenabletoreciprocalassimilation,forever

sundered as much by a mutual repulsion, deep and instinctive, as by their hereditary

hostility.

Nevertheless,thereligionoftheMagi,whichwasthehighestblossomofthegeniusof Iran,

exercised a deep influence on Occidental culture at three different periods. In the first

place,ParseeismhadmadeaverydistinctimpressiononJudaisminitsformativestage,and

several of its cardinal doctrines were disseminated by Jewish colonists throughout the

entirebasinoftheMediterranean,andsubsequentlyevenforcedthemselvesonorthodox

Catholicism.

The influenceofMazdaismonEuropeanthoughtwasstillmoredirect,whenAsiaMinorwas

conquered by the Romans. Here, from time immemorial, colonies of Magi who had

migratedfromBabylonlivedinobscurity,and,weldingtogethertheirtraditionalbeliefsand

thedoctrinesoftheGrecianthinkers,hadelaboratedlittlebylittleinthesebarbaricregions

areligionoriginaldespite itscomplexity.At thebeginningofourera,weseethisreligion

suddenly emerging from the darkness, and pressing forward, rapidly and simultaneously,

intothevalleysoftheDanubeandtheRhine,andevenintotheheartofItaly.Thenations

oftheOccidentfeltvividlythesuperiorityoftheMazdeanfaithovertheirancientnationalcreeds,andthepopulacethrongedtothealtarsoftheexoticgod.Buttheprogressofthe

conquering religion was checked when it came in contact with Christianity. The two

adversariesdiscoveredwithamazement,butwithnoinklingoftheirorigin,thesimilarities

which united them; and they severally accused the Spirit of Deception of having

endeavored to caricature the sacredness of their religious rites. Theconflict between the

twowasinevitable,aferociousandimplacableduel:forthestakewasthedominionofthe

world.Noonehastoldthetaleofitschangingfortunes,andourimaginationaloneisleftto

picture the forgotten dramas that agitated the souls of the multitudes when they were

calledupontochoosebetweenOrmadzandtheTrinity.Weknowtheresultofthebattleonly:Mithraismwasvanquished,aswithoutdoubtitshouldhavebeen.Thedefeatwhichit

sufferedwasnotdueentirelytothesuperiorityoftheevangelicalethics,nortothatofthe

apostolicdoctrineregardingtheteachingoftheMysteries;itperished,notonlybecauseit

wasencumberedwiththeonerousheritageofasuperannuatedpast,butalsobecause its

liturgyanditstheologyhadretainedtoomuchofitsAsiaticcoloringtobeacceptedbythe

Latinspiritwithoutrepugnance.Foraconversereason,thesamebattle,wagedinthesame

epochinPersiabetweenthesesametworivals,waswithoutsuccess,ifnotwithouthonor,

for the Christians; and in the realms of the Sassanids, Zoroastrianism never once was in


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seriousdangerofbeingoverthrown.

ThedefeatofMithraismdidnot,however,utterlyannihilate itspower. Ithadprepared the

mindsoftheOccidentforthereceptionofanewfaith,which,likeitself,camealsofromthe

banks of the Euphrates, and which resumed hostilities with entirely different tactics.

Manichismappearedasitssuccessorandcontinuator.Thiswasthefinalassaultmadeby

PersiaontheOccident,anassaultmoresanguinarythanthepreceding,butonewhichwas

ultimatelydestinedtoberepulsedbythepowerfulresistanceofferedtoitbytheChristian

empire.

The foregoing rapid sketch will, I hope, give some idea of the great importance which the

history of Mithraism possesses. A branch torn from the ancient Mazdean trunk, it has

preservedinmanyrespectsthecharacteristicsoftheancientworshipoftheIraniantribes;and it will enable us by comparison to understand the extent, so much disputed, of the

Avestanreformation.Again,ifithasnotinspired,ithasatleastcontributedtogiveprecise

formto,certaindoctrinesoftheChurch,asthe ideasrelativetothepowersofhellandto

theendoftheworld.Andthusbothitsriseanditsdecadencecombineinexplainingtous

the formation of two great religions. In the heyday of its vigor, it exercised no less

remarkableaninfluenceonthesocietyandgovernmentofRome.Never,perhaps,noteven

intheepochoftheMussulmaninvasion,wasEuropeingreaterdangerofbeingAsiaticized

thaninthethirdcenturyofourera,andtherewasamomentinthisperiodwhenCsarism

wasapparentlyonthepointofbeingtransformedintoaCaliphate.TheresemblanceswhichthecourtofDiocletianbore tothatofChosroeshavebeenfrequentlyemphasized. Itwas

theworshipofthesun,andinparticulartheMazdeantheories,thatdisseminatedtheideas

upon which the deified sovereigns of the West endeavored to rear their monarchical

absolutism.TherapidspreadofthePersianMysteriesamongallclassesofthepopulation

servedadmirablythepoliticalambitionsoftheemperors.Asudden inundationof Iranian

andSemiticconceptionssweptovertheOccident,threateningtosubmergeeverythingthat

thegeniusofGreeceandRomehadsolaboriouslyerected,andwhenthefloodsubsidedit

leftbehindintheconscienceofthepeopleadeepsedimentofOrientalbeliefs,whichhave

neverbeencompletelyobliterated.

I believe I have said sufficient to show that the subject of which I am about to treat is

deservingofexhaustiveandprofoundstudy.Althoughmy investigationshavecarriedme,

onmanysides,muchfartherthanIhadattheoutsetintendedtogo,Istilldonotregretthe

yearsoflaborandoftravelwhichtheyhavecausedme.TheworkwhichIhaveundertaken

couldnothavebeenotherthandifficult.Ontheonehand,wedonotknowtowhatprecise

degree the Avesta and the other sacred books of the Parsees represent the ideas of the

Mazdeans of the Occident; on the other, these books constitute the sole material in our


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possession for interpreting the great mass of figured monuments which have gradually

beencollected.The inscriptionsbythemselvesarealwaysasureguide,buttheircontents

areuponthewholeverymeager.Ourpredicamentissomewhatsimilartothatinwhichwe

should find ourselves if we were called upon to write the history of the Church of the

Middle Ages with no other sources at our command than the Hebrew Bible and the

sculptured dbris of Roman and Gothic portals. For this reason, our explanations of the

Mithraic imagery will frequently possess nothing more than a greater or less degree of

probability. I make no pretension to having reached in all cases a rigorously exact

deciphermentofthesehieroglyphics,and1amanxioustoascribetomyopinionsnothing

but the value of the arguments which support them. 1 hope nevertheless to have

establishedwithcertaintythegeneralsignificationofthesacredimageswhichadornedthe

Mithraic crypts. On the details of their recondite symbolism it is difficult to throw much

light.Wearefrequentlyforcedtotakerefugehereinthearsnesciendi.

Thefollowingpagesreproducethe"Conclusions"printedattheendofthefirstvolumeofmy

large work, Textes et monumentsfigurs relatifs aux mystres de Mithra (Brussels: H.

Lamertin).1 Stripped of the notes and references which there served to establish them,

they are confined to epitomizing and coordinating the sumtotal of the knowledge we

possessconcerningtheoriginandthecharacteristicfeaturesoftheMithraicreligion.They

willfurnish, in fact,allthematerialnecessary forreadersdesirousofgeneral information

onthissubject.Toimpartthesamesoliditytoallthevariousportionsoftheedificewehave

been reconstructing has been impossible. The uncertainties and discontinuity of the

traditiondonotpermitthis.Personsdesirousofexaminingthestabilityofthefoundations

uponwhichmyexpositionsrest,shouldconsultthecriticaldiscussionsofthe"Introduction"

to my larger work, the purpose of which is to ascertain the meaning and value of the

writtendocuments,andespeciallyofthefiguredmonuments,theredescribed.

During the long period in which this work has been in preparation I have been frequently

obligedtoresorttothatcommunityofinterestandsentimentwhichunitesmenofscience

throughout theworld,and Imaysay Ihaverarely appealed to it in vain. Thecourtesyof

devotedfriends,severalofwhomarenownomore,hasoftenanticipatedtheexpressionofmywishes,andhasspontaneouslyplacedatmydisposalthingswhichIcouldscarcelyhave

dared to request. I have endeavored in my large work to make due acknowledgment to

eachoneofthem.Itwouldnotbefittingtogiveinthisplaceameremechanicallistofthe

namesofmycollaborators,andbybestowinguponthemcommonplacethankstoappearin

the light of cancelling the indebtedness which I owe them. But it is with a feeling of

profound gratitude that I recall to mind the services which have been lavished upon me,

andthat,havingnowreachedtheendofmytask,aftermorethantenyears,Istillthinkof


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allwhohaveaidedmeincompletingit.

Thefirsteditionofthepresentworkappearedin1900,andasecondwascalledfornotlong

afterwards. Few changes have been made. We have added a few notes, made a few

references to recent articles, and adorned the pages with a considerable number of

illustrations.1ThemostimportantadditionisthechapteronMithraicsculpture,which,in

viewoftheextensiveresearchesnowbeingmadeastotheOrientaloriginsofRomanart,

cannotfailtobeofinterest.

WehavealsotothankthemanycriticswhohavesokindlyreviewedourMysteriesofMithra,

and have generously acknowledged that our reconstruction of this vanished creed rests

uponanobjectiveandcomplete interpretationofthesources. Inamatterwhich isstillso

obscure, it was inevitable that certain divergences of opinion should have come to light,and our conclusions, at times bold, may, in certain points, have appeared to some

erroneous.Wehavehadregardfortheseexpressionsofdoubt inourrevision. Ifwehave

notalwaysfeltobligedtomodifyouropinion, it isnotbecausewehavenotweighedthe

argumentsofourcritics,butbecause insosmall avolumeas thepresent, fromwhichall

discussionsmustbeexcluded,wehadnotthespacetosubstantiateourconclusions.Itisa

delicatematter,wegrant,topublishatextwithoutthenoteswhichsupport,explain,and

modifyit;butwetrustthatthereaderwillnotfeeltookeenlythisinevitableomission.

FRANZCUMONT.

GHENT,May1st,1902.

Footnotes

viii:1Largeoctavo,931pages,507illustrationsand9photogravureplates.Thiswork,

which is amonumentof scholarship and industry, is a completedescriptive and

criticalcollectionofalltheMithraictexts,inscriptions,references,andmonuments

thathavebeenrecoveredfromantiquity.T.J.McC.

ix:1TheillustrationsoftheFrencheditionnumberedtwentytwo.ThepresentEnglish

editioncontains

more

than

double

that

number.

T.

J.

McC.

TheMysteriesofMithraIllustrations


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THETARUOCTONOUS,

OR

BULL

SLAYING,

MITHRA.

BasreliefDiscoveredinAquileia.

FIGUREListof

IllustrationsPAGE

1.

Antiochusand

Mithra.Basrelief

ofNemroodDagh

14

2.ImperialCoinsof

Trapezus18

3. BactrianCoins 19

4.

Tauroctonous,or

Bullslaying,

Mithra.Typical

Representation.

21

5.

Tauroctonous

Mithra.Artistic

Type.(St.

Petersburg)

22

6.

Tauroctonous

Mithra.Artistic

Type.(Vatican)

23

7.

Tauroctonous

Mithra.Early

ArtisticType.

(Boston)

24

8. KingAntiochus 27

M01.html

M02.htmlM03.html

M04.html

M05.html M06.html

M07.html

M08.html

M09.html

M10.html

M11.html


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andAhuraMazda.

Basreliefof

NemroodDagh

9.

Mithraic

Medallionfrom

Tarsus,Cilicia

32

10.

Tauroctonous

Mithra.(British

Museum)

39

11.

SunGod.

Fragmentofthe

Basrelief

of

Virunum

50

12.Basreliefof

Osterburken51

13.

Planofthe

Mithrumof

Heddernheim

53

14.

Reverseofthe

Basreliefof

Heddernheim

54

15.Basreliefof

Neuenheim55

16.

Planofa

Mithrumin

Ostia

65

17. Silvanus 66

18.StatuesofTorch

bearers.(Lateran)

68

19.PedestalFoundat

Carnuntum88

20.MithraicKronos

FoundinOstia105

21.MithraicKronosof

Florence106

M12.html

M13.html

M14.htmlM15.html

M16.html

M17.html

M18.html

M19.html

M20.html

M21.html

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M23.html

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22.MithraicKronosof

Rome108

23.MithraicKronos

FoundinOstia110

24.

Fragmentofa

BasreliefFound

inVirunum.

(Klagenfurt)

113

25.Basreliefof

Heddernheim117

26.

Bas

relief

of

London122

27. MithraicCameo 123

28.

MithraicCameo,

ShowingMithra

andtheDioscuri

124

29.

StatuesofTorch

bearers.

(Palermo)

128

30.MithraBornfrom

theRock130

31.MithraBornfrom

theRock131

32.FragmentofBas

reliefofVirunum133

33.

Tauroctonousand

Taurophorous

(Bullbearing)

Mithra.ClayCup

ofLanuvium

134

34.

TwoBronze

MithraicPlaques.

(Vatican)

136

35.Basreliefof

Apulum139

M28.html

M29.html M30.html

M31.html M32.html M33.html

M34.html

M35.html

M36.html

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36.

Inscriptionto

MithraNabarze.

(Sarmizegetusa)

142

37.

Tauroctonous

Mithra.Basrelief

ofBologna

151

38.

Mithraic

Communion.Bas

reliefofKonjica

159

39.

Restorationofa

Mithrumat

Carnuntum

163

40.Tauroctonous

MithraofToronto176

41.

MithraicGems.

(Metropolitan

MuseumofArt,

NewYorkCity)

183

42. MithraicCameo 185

43.

Sol,the

Sun

God

186

44.

ThePassionofthe

God.Headofthe

SocalledDying

Alexanderofthe

UffiziGallery

192

45.

Basreliefof

Mayence.Mithra

DrawingHisBow

196

46.Chained

Skeleton

Discoveredat

Saarebourg

204

47.

Mithraic

Dadophorus.

WronglyRestored

asParis

212

48.Counterpartof

thePreceding213

M46.html

M47.html

M48.html

M49.html

M50.html M51.html


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49.MithraicKronosof

Modena222

50.

Birthof

Erichthonios.

GreekVase

225

THEMYSTERIESOFMITHRA

THEORIGINSOFMITHRAISM

INTHATunknownepochwhentheancestorsofthePersianswerestillunitedwiththoseofthe

Hindus, they were already worshippers of Mithra. The hymns of the Vedas celebrated his

name, as did those of the Avesta, and despite the differences obtaining between the twotheologicalsystemsofwhichthesebooksweretheexpression,theVedicMitraandtheIranian

Mithra have preserved so many traits of resemblance that it is impossible to entertain any

doubt concerning their common origin. Both religions saw in him a god of light, invoked

together with Heaven,bearing in the one case the name of Varuna and in theother that of

Ahura; inethicshewasrecognizedastheprotectoroftruth,theantagonistoffalsehoodand

error.ButthesacredpoetryofIndiahaspreservedofhimanobscuredmemoryonly.Asingle

fragment, andeven thatpartially effaced, isall thathas beenspeciallydedicated tohim. He

appears mainly in incidental allusions,the silent witnesses of his ancient grandeur. Still,

thoughhisphysiognomyisnotsodistinctlylimnedintheSanskritliteratureasitisintheZendwritings, the faintness of its outlines is not sufficient to disguise the primitive identity of his

character.

Accordingtoarecenttheory,thisgod,withwhomthepeoplesofEuropewereunacquainted,was

not a member of the ancient Aryan pantheon. MitraVaruna, and the five other Adityas

celebratedbytheVedas,likewiseMithraAhuraandtheAmshaspands,who,accordingtothe

Avestanconceptionsurround theCreator,are onthistheorynothingbut thesun,themoon,

andtheplanets,theworshipofwhichwasadoptedbythe IndoIranians"fromaneighboring

people, theirsuperiors in theknowledge of thestarry firmament," whocould benoneother

than the Accadian or Semitic inhabitants of Babylonia. 1 But this hypothetical adoption, if it

really took place, must have occurred in a prehistoric epoch, and, without attempting to

dissipate the obscurity of these primitive times, it will be sufficient for us to state that the

tribesofIranneverceasedtoworshipMithrafromtheirfirstassumptionofworldlypowertill

thedayoftheirconversiontoIslam.

IntheAvesta,Mithraisthegeniusofthecelestiallight.Heappearsbeforesunriseontherocky

summits of the mountains; during the day he traverses the wide firmament in his chariot

drawn by four white horses, and when night falls he still illumines with flickering glow the


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surfaceoftheearth,"everwaking,everwatchful."Heisneithersun,normoon,norstars,but

with"hishundredearsandhishundredeyes"watchesconstantlytheworld.Mithrahearsall,

seesall,knowsall:nonecandeceivehim.Byanaturaltransitionhebecameforethicsthegodoftruthandintegrity,theonethatwasinvokedinsolemnoaths,thatpledgedthefulfilmentof

contracts,thatpunishedperjurers.

Thelightthatdissipatesdarknessrestoreshappinessandlifeonearth;theheatthataccompanies

itfecundatesnature.Mithrais"the lordofwidepastures,"theonethatrendersthemfertile.

"He giveth increase, he giveth abundance, he giveth cattle, he giveth progeny and life." He

scattersthewatersoftheheavensandcausestheplantstospringforthfromtheground;on

themthathonorhim,hebestowshealthofbody,abundanceofriches,andtalentedposterity.

Forheisthedispensernotonlyofmaterialblessingsbutofspiritualadvantagesaswell.Hisis

the beneficent genius that accords peace of conscience, wisdom, and honor along with

prosperity, and causes harmony to reign among all his votaries. The devas, who inhabit the

placesofdarkness,disseminateonearthalongwithbarrennessandsufferingallmannerofvice

and impurity. Mithra, "wakeful and sleepless, protects the creation of Mazda" against their

machinations. Hecombats unceasingly the spiritsof evil; and the iniquitous that serve them

feelalsotheterriblevisitationsofhiswrath.Fromhiscelestialeyriehespiesouthisenemies;

armed in fullest panoply he swoops down upon them, scatters and slaughters them. He

desolatesand layswaste thehomesof the wicked,heannihilates the tribesandthenations

thatarehostiletohim.Ontheotherhandheisthepuissantallyofthefaithfulintheirwarlike

expeditions.Theblowsoftheirenemies"misstheirmark,forMithra,sore incensed,receives

them";andheassuresvictoryuntothemthat"havehadfitinstructionintheGood,thathonor

himandofferhimthesacrificiallibations."1

Thischaracterofgodofhosts,whichhasbeenthepredominatingtraitofMithrafromthedaysof

theAchmenides,undoubtedlybecameaccentuated intheperiodofconfusionduringwhich

theIraniantribeswerestillatwarwithoneanother;butitisafterallonlythedevelopmentof

the ancient conception of struggle between day and night. In general, the picture that the

AvestaoffersusoftheoldAryandeity, is,aswehavealreadysaid,similartothatwhichthe

Vedas have drawn in less marked outlines, and it hence follows that Mazdaism left its main

primitivefoundationunaltered.

Still,thoughtheAvestanhymnsfurnishthedistinctestglimpsesofthetruephysiognomyofthe

ancientgodoflight,theZoroastriansystem,inadoptinghisworship,hassingularlylessenedhis

importance.AsthepriceofhisadmissiontotheAvestanHeaven,hewascompelledtosubmit

to its laws.TheologyhadplacedAhuraMazdaonthepinnacleofthecelestialhierarchy, and

thenceforward itcouldrecognizenoneashispeer.Mithrawasnotevenmadeoneofthesix

AmshaspandsthataidedtheSupremeDeityingoverningtheuniverse.Hewasrelegated,with

themajorityoftheancientdivinitiesofnature,tothehostoflessergeniioryazatascreatedby


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Mazda. He was associated with some of the deified abstractions which the Persians had

learnedtoworship.Asprotectorofwarriors,hereceivedforhiscompanion,Verethraghna,or

Victory;asthedefenderofthetruth,hewasassociatedwiththepiousSraosha,orObediencetodivinelaw,withRashnu,Justice,withArshtt,Rectitude.Asthetutelargeniusofprosperity,

heisinvokedwithAshiVauhi,Riches,andwithPred,Abundance.IncompanywithSraosha

andRashnu,heprotectsthesoulofthejustagainstthedemonsthatseektodragitdownto

Hell,andundertheirguardianshipitsoarsalofttoParadise.ThisIranianbeliefgavebirthtothe

doctrineofredemptionbyMithra,whichwefinddevelopedintheOccident.

Atthesametime,hiscultwassubjectedtoarigorousceremonial,conforming totheMazdean

liturgy.Sacrificialofferingsweremade tohimof"smallcattleand large,andofflyingbirds."

These immolations were preceded or accompanied with the usual libations of thejuice of

Haoma, and with the recitation of ritual prayers,the bundle of sacred twigs (baresman)

always inthehand.Butbeforedaringtoapproachthealtar,thevotarywasobligedtopurify

himselfbyrepeatedablutionsandflagellations.Theserigorousprescriptionsrecalltheriteof

baptismandthecorporealtestsimposedontheRomanneophytesbeforeinitiation.

Mithra,thus,wasadopted in the theologicalsystemofZoroastrianism;aconvenientplacewas

assignedtohiminthedivinehierarchy;hewasassociatedwithcompanionsofunimpeachable

orthodoxy; homage was rendered to him on the same footing with the other genii. But his

puissant personality had not bent lightly to the rigorous restrictions that had been imposed

uponhim,andtherearetobefoundinthesacredtextvestigesofamoreancientconception,

according to which he occupied in the Iranian pantheon a much more elevated position.

SeveraltimesheisinvokedincompanywithAhura:thetwogodsformapair,forthelightof

HeavenandHeavenitselfareintheirnatureinseparable.Furthermore,if itissaidthatAhura

createdMithraashedidallthings,itislikewisesaidthathemadehimjustasgreatandworthy

ashimself.Mithraisindeedayazata,butheisalsothemostpotentandmostgloriousofthe

yazata."AhuraMazdaestablishedhimtomaintainandwatchoverallthismovingworld."1Itis

throughtheagencyofthisevervictoriouswarriorthattheSupremeBeingdestroysthedemons

andcauseseventheSpiritofEvil,Ahrimanhimself,totremble.

Compare these texts with the celebrated passage in which Plutarch2

expounds the dualistic

doctrineofthePersians:Oromazesdwellsinthedomainofeternallight"asfarabovethesun

as the sun is distant from the earth"; Ahriman reigns in the realm of darkness, and Mithra

occupiesan intermediaryplacebetweenthem.ThebeginningoftheBundahish3expoundsa

quite similar theory, save that in place of Mithra it is the air (Vayu) that is placed between

OrmazdandAhriman.Thecontradictionisonlyoneofterms,foraccordingtoIranianideasthe

air is indissolublyconjoinedwith the light,which it isthought to support. In fine,asupreme

god,enthronedintheempyreanabovethestars,whereaperpetualserenityexists;belowhim

anactivedeity,hisemissaryandchiefofthecelestialarmiesintheirceaselesscombatwiththe


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Spirit of Darkness, who from the bowels of Hell sends forth his devas to the surface of the

earth,thisisthereligiousconception,farsimplerthanthatofZoroastrianism,whichappears

tohavebeengenerallyacceptedamongthesubjectsoftheAchmenides.

TheconspicuousrlethatthereligionoftheancientPersiansaccordedtoMithraisattestedbya

multitude of proofs. He alone, with the goddess Anhita, is invoked in the inscriptions of

ArtaxerxesalongsideofAhuraMazda.The"greatkings"werecertainlyverycloselyattachedto

him,andlookeduponhimastheirspecialprotector.Itishewhomtheycalltobearwitnessto

the truth of their words, and whom they invoke on the eve of battle. They unquestionably

regardedhimasthegodthatbroughtvictorytomonarchs;heitwas,theythought,whocaused

that mysterious light to descend upon them which, according to the Mazdean belief, is a

guarantyofperpetualsuccesstoprinces,whoseauthorityitconsecrates.

Thenobility followed theexampleofthesovereign.Thegreatnumberoftheophorous,orgod

bearing,names,compoundedwiththatofMithra,whichwerebornebytheirmembersfrom

remotest antiquity, is proof of the fact that the reverence for this god was general among

them.

Mithra occupied a large place in the official cult. In the calendar the seventh month was

dedicated to him and also doubtless the sixteenth day of each month. At the time of his

festival,theking,ifwemaybelieveCtesias,1waspermittedtoindulgeincopiouslibationsin

hishonorandtoexecutethesacreddances.Certainlythisfestivalwastheoccasionofsolemn

sacrificesandstatelyceremonies.TheMithrakanawerefamedthroughoutallHitherAsia,andin their form Mihragn were destined, in modern times, to be celebrated at the

commencementofwinterbyMussulmanPersia.ThefameofMithraextendedtotheborders

ofthegeanSea;heistheonlyIraniangodwhosenamewaspopularinancientGreece,and

this factaloneproves howdeeplyhewasveneratedby thenationsof thegreatneighboring

empire.

Thereligionobservedbythemonarchandbytheentirearistocracythataidedhimingoverning

his vast territories could not possibly remain confined to a few provinces of his empire. We

know thatArtaxerxes Ochus had caused statues of the goddess Anhita to beerected inhis

different capitals, at Babylon, Damascus, and Sardis, as well as at Susa, Ecbatana, and

Persepolis.Babylon,inparticular,beingthewinterresidenceofthesovereigns,wastheseatof

a numerous body of official clergy, called Magi, who sat in authority over the indigenous

priests.Theprerogativesthattheimperialprotocolguaranteedtothisofficialclergycouldnot

renderthemexemptfromtheinfluenceofthepowerfulsacerdotalcastethatflourishedbeside

them. The erudite and refined theology of the Chaldans was thus superposed on the

primitiveMazdeanbelief,whichwasratheracongeriesoftraditionsthanawell established

bodyofdefinitedogmas.The legendsofthetworeligionswereassimilated, theirdivinities


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were identified,andtheSemiticworshipofthestars(astrolatry),themonstrousfruitoflong

continuedscientificobservations,becameamalgamatedwiththenaturemythsoftheIranians.

AhuraMazdawasconfoundedwithBel,whoreignedovertheheavens;AnhitawaslikenedtoIshtar,whopresidedovertheplanetVenus;whileMithrabecametheSun,Shamash.AsMithra

inPersia,soShamashinBabylonisthegodofjustice;likehim,healsoappearsintheeast,on

thesummits of mountains, andpursues hisdaily courseacross theheavens inaresplendent

chariot; likehim,finally,he toogivesvictoryto thearmsofwarriors,and istheprotectorof

kings.ThetransformationwroughtbySemitictheoriesinthebeliefsofthePersianswasofso

profound a character that, centuries after, in Rome, the original home of Mithra was not

infrequentlyplacedonthebanksoftheEuphrates.AccordingtoPtolemus,1thispotentsolar

deitywasworshippedinallthecountriesthatstretchedfromIndiatoAssyria.

ButBabylonwasasteponly inthepropagationofMazdaism.Veryearly theMagihadcrossed

Mesopotamia and penetrated to the heart of Asia Minor. Even under the first of the

Achmenides, it appears, they established themselves in multitudes in Armenia, where the

indigenous religion gradually succumbed to their cult, and also in Cappadocia, where their

altars still burned in great numbers in the days of the famous geographer Strabo. They

swarmed,ataveryremoteepoch,intodistantPontus,intoGalatia,intoPhrygia.InLydiaeven,

under the reign of the Antonines, their descendants still chanted their barbaric hymns in a

sanctuary attributed to Cyrus. These communities, in Cappadocia at least, were destined to

survive the triumph of Christianity and to be perpetuated until the fifth century of our era,

faithfully transmitting from generation to generation their manners, usages, and modes of

worship.

AtfirstblushthefalloftheempireofDariuswouldappeartohavebeennecessarilyfataltothese

religious colonies, so widely scattered and henceforward to be severed from the country of

theirbirth.Butinpointoffactitwaspreciselythecontrarythathappened,andtheMagifound

in theDiadochi, the successors of Alexander theGreat,no less efficient protection than that

which they enjoyed under the Great King and his satraps. After the dismemberment of the

empire of Alexander (323B.C.), therewere established in Pontus, Cappadocia, Armenia, and

Commagene,dynastieswhichthecomplaisantgenealogistsofthedayfeignedtotracebackto

the Achmenian kings. Whether these royal houses were of Iranian extraction or not, their

supposititious descent nevertheless imposed upon them the obligation of worshipping the

godsoftheir fictitiousancestors. In opposition tothe Greek kingsof Pergamon andAntioch,

theyrepresentedtheancienttraditionsinreligionandpolitics.Theseprincesandthemagnates

oftheirentouragetookasortofaristocraticprideinslavishlyimitatingtheancientmastersof

Asia.Whilenotevincingoutspokenhostilitytootherreligionspractisedintheirdomains,they

yet reserved especial favors for the temples of the Mazdean divinities. Oromazes (Ahura

Mazda), Omanos (Vohumano), Artagnes (Verethraghna), Anatis (Anhita), and still others


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received their homage. But Mithra, above all, was the object of their predilection. The

monarchsofthesenationscherishedforhimadevotionthatwasinsomemeasurepersonal,as

the frequency of the name Mithradates in all their families attests. Evidently Mithra hadremainedforthem,ashehadbeenforArtaxerxesandDarius,thegodthatgrantedmonarchs

victory,themanifestationandenduringguarantyoftheirlegitimaterights.

ThisreverenceforPersiancustoms,inheritedfromlegendaryancestors,thisideathatpietyisthe

bulwarkofthethroneandthesoleconditionofsuccess,isexplicitlyaffirmedinthepompous

inscription1engravedonthecolossaltombthatAntiochusI.,Epiphanes,ofCommagene(6934

B.C.),erectedonaspurofthemountainrangeTaurus,commandingadistantviewofthevalley

oftheEuphrates (Figure I).But,beingadescendantbyhismotheroftheSeleucidofSyria,

andsupposedlybyhisfatherofDarius,sonofHystaspes,thekingofCommagenemergedthe

memoriesofhisdoubleorigin,andblendedtogetherthegodsandtheritesofthePersiansand

the Greeks, just as in his own dynasty the name of Antiochus alternated with that of

Mithridates.

Fig.1KingAntiochusandMithra

Similarlyintheneighboringcountries,theIranianprincesandpriestsgraduallysuccumbedtothe

growing power of the Grecian civilization. Under the Achmenides, all the different nations

lying between the Pontus Euxinus and Mount Taurus were suffered by the tolerance of the

central authority to practise their local cults, customs, and languages. But in the great

confusioncausedbythecollapseofthePersianempire,allpoliticalandreligiousbarrierswere

demolished. Heterogeneous races had suddenly come in contact with one another, and as a


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result Hither Asia passed through a phase of syncretism analogous to that which is more

distinctlyobservableundertheRomanempire.ThecontactofallthetheologiesoftheOrient

and all the philosophies of Greece produced the most startling combinations, and thecompetitionbetweenthedifferentcreedsbecameexceedinglybrisk.ManyoftheMagi,from

ArmeniatoPhrygiaandLydia,thendoubtlessdepartedfromtheirtraditionalreservetodevote

themselves to active propaganda, and like the Jews of the same epoch they succeeded in

gathering around them numerous proselytes. Later, when persecuted by the Christian

emperors,theywereobligedtorevert to theirquondamexclusiveness,and torelapse intoa

rigorismthatbecamemoreandmoreinaccessible.

It was undoubtedly during the period of moral and religious fermentation provoked by the

MacedonianconquestthatMithraismreceivedapproximatelyitsdefinitiveform.Itwasalready

thoroughly consolidated when it spread throughout the Roman empire. Its dogmas and its

liturgic traditions must have been firmly established from the beginning of its diffusion. But

unfortunatelyweareunabletodeterminepreciselyeitherthecountryortheperiodoftimein

whichMazdaismassumedthecharacteristicsthatdistinguisheditinItaly.Ourignoranceofthe

religiousmovements thatagitated theOrient intheAlexandrianepoch,thealmostcomplete

absence of direct testimony bearingon thehistory of the Iranian sectsduring the first three

centuries before our era, are our main obstacles in obtaining certain knowledge of the

development of Parseeism. The most we can do is to unravel the principal factors that

combinedtotransformthereligionoftheMagiofAsiaMinor,andendeavortoshowhow in

differentregionsvaryinginfluencesvariouslyaltereditsoriginalcharacter.

In Armenia, Mazdaism had coalesced with the national beliefs of the country and also with a

Semitic element imported from Syria. Mithra remained one of the principal divinities of the

syncretictheologythatissuedfromthistripleinfluence.AsintheOccident,somesawinMithra

thegeniusoffire,othersidentifiedhimwiththesun;andfantasticlegendswerewovenabout

hisname.HewassaidtohavesprungfromtheincestuousintercourseofAhuraMazdawithhis

ownmother,andagaintohavebeentheoffspringofacommonmortal.Weshallrefrainfrom

dwelling upon these andother singular myths.Their character isradicallydifferent from the

dogmas accepted by the Occidental votaries of the Persian god. That peculiar admixture of

disparate doctrines which constituted the religion of the Armenians appears to have had no

otherrelationshipwithMithraismthanthatofapartialcommunityoforigin.

IntheremainingportionsofAsiaMinorthechangeswhichMazdaismunderwentwerefarfrom

beingasprofoundasinArmenia.Theoppositionbetweentheindigenouscultsandthereligion

whose Iranian origin its votaries delighted in recalling, never ceased to be felt. The pure

doctrineofwhich theworshippersof firewere theguardianscouldnotreconcile itselfeasily

with the orgies celebrated in honor of the lover of Cybele. Nevertheless, during the long

centuries that the emigrant Magi lived peacefully among the autochthonous tribes, certain


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amalgamationsoftheconceptionsofthetworacescouldnothelpbeingeffected. InPontus,

Mithra is represented on horseback like Men, the lunar god honored throughout the entire

peninsula.

Inotherplaces,heispicturedinbroad,slittrousers(anaxyrides),recallingtomindthemutilation

ofAttis. InLydia,MithraAnhitabecameSabaziusAnatis.Other localdivinities likewise lent

themselvestoidentificationwiththepowerfulyazata.Itwouldappearasifthepriestsofthese

unculturedcountrieshadendeavoredtomaketheirpopulargodsthecompeersofthosewhom

theprincesandnobilityworshipped.Butwehavetoolittleknowledgeofthereligionsofthese

countriestodeterminetheprecisefeatureswhichtheyrespectivelyderivedfromParseeismor

impartedtoit.Thattherewasareciprocalinfluencewedefinitelyknow,butitsprecisescope

weareunabletoascertain.Still,howeversuperficialitmayhavebeen,1itcertainlydidprepare

for the intimateunionwhichwassoon tobeeffected in theWestbetween the Mysteriesof

MithraandthoseoftheGreatMother.

OnthecoinsoftheScythiankingsKanerkesandHooerkes,whoreignedoverKabulandthe

NorthwestofIndiafrom87to120A.D.,theimageofMithraisfoundincompanywiththoseof

otherPersian,Greek,andHindugods.Thesecoinshavelittledirectconnectionwiththe

MysteriesastheyappearedintheOccident,buttheymeritourattentionasbeingtheonly

representationsofMithrawhicharefoundoutsidetheboundariesoftheRomanworld.

Fig.2.IMPERIALCOINSOFTRAPEZUS

RepresentingadivinityonhorsebackresemblingbothMenandMithra,andshowingthatin

Pontusthetwowereidentified.

a.Bronzecoins.Obverse:BustofAlexanderSeverus,cladinapaludamentum;headcrowned

withlaurel.Reverse:ThecompositeMenMithrainOrientalcostume,wearingaPhrygiancap,

andmountedonahorsethatadvancestowardtheright.Infront,aflamingaltar.Oneither

side,thecharacteristicMithraictorches,respectivelyelevatedandreversed.Attheright,a


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treewithbranchesoverspreadingthehorseman.Infront,aravenbendingtowardshim.(218

A.D.)

b.Asimilarcoin.

c.Obverse:AlexanderSeverus.Reverse:MenMithraonhorsebackadvancingtowardsthe

right.Intheforeground,aflamingaltar;intheroar,atreeuponwhicharavenisperched.

d.Asimilarcoin,havingonitsobversethebustofGordianusIII.(T.etM.,p.190.)

Fig.3.

BACTRIANCOINS.

a.Obverse:AnimageofKingKanerkes.Reverse:AnimageofMithra.

b.TheobversehasabustofKingHooerkes,andthereverseanimageofMithraasagoddess.

c.BustofHooerkeswithalunarandasolargod(Mithra)onitsreverseside.

d.BustofHooerkes,withMithraaloneonitsreverse.

e,

f,

g.Similarcoins.(T.etM.,p.186.)

When,as theoutcomeof theexpeditionofAlexander (334323B.C.), the civilization ofGreece

spreadthroughoutallHitherAsia, itimpresseditselfuponMazdaismasfareastasBactriana.

Nevertheless, Iranism, ifwemayemploysuchadesignation,neversurrenderedtoHellenism.

Iran proper soon recovered its moral autonomy, as well as its political independence; and

generally speaking, the power of resistance offered by Persian traditions to an assimilation

which was elsewhere easily effected is one of the most salient traits of the history of the

relationsofGreecewiththeOrient.ButtheMagiofAsiaMinor,beingmuchnearertothegreat

foci of Occidental culture, were more vividly illumined by their radiation. Without suffering

themselves to be absorbed by the religion of the conquering strangers, they combined their

cultswithit.InordertoharmonizetheirbarbaricbeliefswiththeHellenicideas,recoursewas

hadtotheancientpracticeofidentification.


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They strove to demonstrate that the Mazdean heaven was inhabited by the same denizens as

Olympus: AhuraMazda as Supreme Being was confounded with Zeus; Verethraghna, the

victorious hero, with Heracles; Anhita, to whom the bull was consecrated, became ArtemisTauropolos,andtheidentificationwentsofarastolocalizeinhertemplesthefableofOrestes.

Mithra, already regarded in Babylon as the peer of Shamash, was naturally associated with

Helios;buthewasnotsubordinatedtohim,andhisPersiannamewasneverreplaced inthe

liturgy by a translation, as had been the case with the other divinities worshipped in the

Mysteries.

Thesynonomy thusspeciouslyestablishedbetweenappellationshavingnorelationshipdidnot

remain the exclusive diversion of the mythologists; it was attended with the grave

consequence that the vague personifications conceived by the Oriental imagination now

assumedthepreciseformswithwhichtheGreekartistshadinvestedtheOlympiangods.

Possiblytheyhadneverbeforebeenrepresentedintheguiseofthehumanform,orifimagesof

themexistedinimitationoftheAssyrianidolstheyweredoubtlessbothgrotesqueandcrude.

In thus imparting to the Mazdean heroes all the seductiveness of the Hellenic ideal, the

conception of their character was necessarily modified; and,pruned of their exotic features,

theywererenderedmorereadilyacceptabletotheOccidentalpeoples.

OneoftheindispensableconditionsforthesuccessofthisexoticreligionintheRomanworldwas

fulfilledwhentowardsthesecondcenturybeforeoureraasculptoroftheschoolofPergamon

composedthepatheticgroupofMithraTauroctonos,towhichuniversalcustomthenceforward

reserved the place of honor in the apse of

thespela.1

Mithraissacrificingthebullinthecave.The

characteristicfeaturesoftheMithra

monumentsareallrepresentedhere:the

youthswiththeuprightandtheinverted

torch,thesnake,thedog,theraven,Helios,

thegodofthesun,andSelene,thegoddess

ofthemoon.

OwingtothePhrygiancap,theresemblance

ofthefacetothatofAlexander,andthe

imitationofthemotifoftheclassicalGreek

groupofNikesacrificingabull,all

characteristicsoftheDiadochianepoch,

theoriginalofalltheworksofthistypehasbeenattributedtoanartistofPergamon.(T.etM.,

p.194.)


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Fig.4

TYPICALREPRESENTATIONOFMITHRA.

FamousBorghesi

bas

relief

in

white

marble,

now

in

the

Louvre,

Paris,

but

originally

taken

from

themithrumoftheCapitol.

Fig.7.

TAUROCTONOUSMITHRA.

EarlyArtisticType.(Basreliefofwhitemarble,Rome,nowintheMuseumofFineArts,

Boston.)

But not only did art employ its powers to soften the repulsive features which these rude

MysteriesmightpossessformindsformedintheschoolsofGreece;philosophyalsostroveto

reconciletheirdoctrineswithitsteachings,orrathertheAsiaticpriestspretendedtodiscover

intheirsacredtraditionsthetheoriesofthephilosophicsects.Noneofthesesectssoreadily

lent itself to alliance with the popular devotion as that of theStoa, and its influence on the

formationofMithraism was profound.Anancientmyth sungby theMagi isquoted by Dion

Chrysostomos1

on account of its allegorical resemblance to the Stoic cosmology; and manyotherPersian ideasweresimilarlymodifiedbythepantheisticconceptionsofthedisciplesof

Zeno. Thinkers accustomed themselves more and more to discovering in the dogmas and

liturgic usages of the Orientals the obscure reflections of an ancient wisdom, and these

tendenciesharmonizedtoomuchwiththepretensionsandtheinterestoftheMazdeanclergy

nottobeencouragedbythemwitheverymeansintheirpower.

But ifphilosophical speculation transformed the character of the beliefs of the Magi, investing

themwithascopewhichtheydidnotoriginallypossess, its influencewasneverthelessupon

thewholeconservativeratherthanrevolutionary.Theveryfactthatitinvestedlegendswhich


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wereofttimespuerilewithasymbolicalsignificance,thatitfurnishedrationalexplanationsfor

usages which were apparently absurd, did much towards insuring their perpetuity. If the

theological foundationof the religionwassensiblymodified, its liturgic frameworkremainedrelativelyfixed,andthechangeswroughtinthedogmawereinaccordwiththereverencedue

to the ritual.The superstitious formalismof which the minute prescriptions of the Vendidad

weretheexpression iscertainlypriortotheperiodoftheSassanids.Thesacrificeswhichthe

MagiofCappadociaofferedinthetimeofStrabo(circa63B.C.21A.D.)arereminiscentofall

thepeculiaritiesoftheAvestan liturgy.Itwasthesamepsalmodicprayersbeforethealtarof

fire; and the same bundle of sacred twigs (baresman); the same oblations of milk, oil, and

honey; the sameprecautions lest thebreath of theofficiating priestshouldcontaminate the

divine flame. The inscription of Antiochus of Commagene (6934 B.C.) in the rules that it

prescribesgivesevidenceofalikescrupulousfidelitytotheancientIraniancustoms.Thekingexults in having always honored the gods of his ancestors according to the tradition of the

PersiansandtheGreeks;heexpressesthedesirethatthepriestsestablishedinthenewtemple

shall wear the sacerdotal vestments of the same Persians, and that they shall officiate

conformablytotheancientsacredcustom.

Thesixteenthdayofeachmonth,whichistobespeciallycelebrated,isnottobethebirthdayof

the king alone, but also the day which from time immemorial was specially consecrated to

Mithra.

Fig.8.

KINGANTIOCHUSANDAHURAMAZDA.

(BasreliefofthetempleofAntiochusI.ofCommagene,6934B.C.,ontheNemroodDagh,a

spuroftheTaurusMountains.T.etM.,p.188.)

Many, many years after, another Commagenean, Lucian of Samosata, in a passage apparently

inspired by practices he had witnessed in his own country, could still deride the repeated


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purifications, the interminablechants, and the long Medean robes of the p. 28 sectariansof

Zoroaster. 1 Furthermore, he taunted them with being ignorant even of Greek and with

mumblinganincoherentandunintelligiblegibberish.2

TheconservativespiritoftheMagiofCappadocia,whichboundthem to thetimewornusages

thathadbeenhandeddown fromgeneration togeneration,abatednotonejotof itspower

afterthetriumphofChristianity;andSt.Basil3hasrecordedthefactofitspersistenceaslate

as the end of the fourth century. Even in Italy it is certain that the Iranian Mysteries never

ceasedtoretainagoodlyproportionoftheritualformsthatMazdaismhadobserved inAsia

Minortimeoutofmind.4TheprincipalinnovationconsistedinsubstitutingforthePersianas

the liturgic language, the Greek, and later perhaps the Latin. This reform presupposes the

existenceofsacredbooks,and it isprobablethatsubsequentlytotheAlexandrianepochthe

prayers and canticles that had been originally transmitted orallywere committed towriting,

lest their memory should fade forever. But this necessary accommodation to the new

environmentsdidnotpreventMithraismfrompreservingtotheveryendaceremonialwhich

wasessentiallyPersian.

TheGreeknameof"Mysteries"whichwritershaveappliedtothisreligionshouldnotmisleadus.

Theadeptsof Mithraismdidnot imitate the Helleniccults in theorganizationof their secret

societies,theesotericdoctrineofwhichwasmadeknownonlyafterasuccessionofgraduated

initiations.InPersiaitselftheMagiconstitutedanexclusivecaste,whichappearstohavebeen

subdividedintoseveralsubordinateclasses.Andthoseofthemwhotookuptheirabodeinthe

midst of foreign nations different in language and manners were still more jealous in

concealingtheirhereditaryfaithfromtheprofane.Theknowledgeoftheirarcanagavethema

lofty consciousness of their moral superiority and insured their prestige over the ignorant

populationsthatsurroundedthem.ItisprobablethattheMazdeanpriesthoodinAsiaMinoras

inPersiawasprimitivelythehereditaryattributeofatribe,inwhichitwashandeddownfrom

father to son; that afterwards its incumbents consented, after appropriate ceremonies of

initiation,tocommunicateitssecretdogmastostrangers,andthattheseproselyteswerethen

gradually admitted to all the different ceremonies of the cult. The Iranian diaspora is

comparableinthisrespect,asinmanyothers,withthatoftheJews.Usagesoondistinguished

between thedifferent classesofneophytes, ultimately culminating in theestablishmentofa

fixed hierarchy. But the complete revelation of the sacred beliefs and practices was always

reservedfortheprivilegedfew;andthismysticknowledgeappearedtoincreaseinexcellence

inproportionasitbecamemoreoccult.


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Fig.5.

TAUROCTONOUSMITHRA.ArtisticType.

(Basrelief,formerlyindomoAndreCinquin,

nowinSt.Petersburg.T.etM.,p.229.)

Fig.6.TAUROCTONOUSMITHRA.

ArtisticType(SecondCentury).(Grandgroupof

whitemarble,nowintheVatican.T.etM.,p.210)

AlltheoriginalritesthatcharacterizedtheMithraiccultoftheRomansunquestionablygobackto

Asiaticorigins:theanimaldisguisesusedincertainceremoniesareasurvivalofaverywidely

diffused prehistoric custom which still survives in our day; the practice of consecrating

mountaincavestothegod isundoubtedlyaheritageofthetimewhentempleswerenotyet

constructed; the cruel tests imposed on the initiated recall the bloody mutilations that theservitorsofMandofCybeleperpetrated.Similarly,the legendsofwhichMithra isthehero

cannot have been invented save in a pastoral epoch. These antique traditions of a primitive

and crude civilization subsist in the Mysteries by the side of a subtle theology and a lofty

systemofethics.

An analysis of the constituent elements of Mithraism, like a crosssection of a geological

formation,showsthestratificationsofthiscompositemassintheirregularorderofdeposition.

Thebasal layer of thisreligion, its lowerand primordial stratum, is the faith of ancient Iran,

fromwhichittookitsorigin.

AbovethisMazdeansubstratumwasdepositedinBabylonathicksedimentofSemiticdoctrines,

and afterwards the local beliefs of Asia Minor added to it their alluvial deposits. Finally, a

luxuriant vegetation of Hellenic ideas burst forth from this fertile soil and partly concealed

fromviewitstrueoriginalnature.

Thiscompositereligion,inwhichsomanyheterogeneouselementswereweldedtogether,isthe

adequate expression of the complex civilization that flourished in the Alexandrian epoch in

Armenia, Cappadocia, and Pontus. IfMithridates Eupator hadrealizedhis ambitious dreams,

this Hellenized Parseeism would doubtless have become the statereligion of a vast Asiatic


24/117

empire. But the course of its destinies was changed by the vanquishment of this great

adversaryofRome(66B.C.).ThedbrisofthePonticarmiesandfleets,thefugitivesdrivenout

by the war and flocking in from all parts of the Orient, disseminated the Iranian Mysteriesamongthatnationofpiratesthatrosetopowerundertheprotectingshelterofthemountains

of Cilicia. Mithra became firmly established in this country, in which Tarsus continued to

worshiphimuntilthedownfalloftheempire(Figure9).Supportedbyitsbellicosereligion,this

republicofadventurersdaredtodisputethesupremacyoftheseaswiththeRomancolossus.

Doubtless they considered themselves the chosen nation, destined to carry to victory the

religion of the invincible god. Strong in the consciousness of his protection, these audacious

mariners boldly pillaged the most venerated sanctuaries of Greece and Italy, and the Latin

worldrangfor the firsttimewiththenameofthebarbaricdivinity thatwassoonto impose

uponithisadoration.

Fig.9.

MITHRAICMEDALLION

OF

BRONZE

FROM

TARSUS,

CILICIA.

Obverse:BustofGordianusIII.,cladinapaludamentumandwearingarayedcrown.

Reverse:Mithra,wearingarayedcrownandcladinafloatingchlamys,atuniccoveredbya

breastplate,andanaxyrides(trousers),seizeswithhisleftbandthenostrilsofthebull,which

hehasforcedtoitsknees,whileinhisrighthandheholdsaloftaknifewithwhichheisabout

toslaytheanimal.(T.etM.,p.190.)

Footnotes

2:1Oldenberg,DieReligiondesVeda,1894,p.185.

4:1ZendAvesta,Yasht,X.,Passim.

7:1Yasht,X.,103.

7:2Plutarch,DeIsideetOsiride,4647;Textesetmonuments,Vol.II.,p.33.

7:3West,PahlaviTexts,I.(also,SacredBooksoftheEast,V.),1890,p.3,etseq.

9:1CtesiasapudAthen.,X.,45(Textesetmonuments,hereaftercitedas"T.etM.,"Vol.II.,p.10).


25/117

10:1Ptol.,Tetrabibl.,II.,2.

13:1Michel,Recueilinscr.gr.,No.735.CompareT.etM.,Vol.II.,p.89,No.1.

17:1M.JeanRville(tudesdethologieetd'hist.publ.enhommagelafacultdeMontauban,

Paris1901,p.336)isinclinedtoaccordaconsiderableshareintheformationofMithraismto

the religions of Asia; but it is impossible in the present state of our knowledge to form any

estimateoftheextentofthisinfluence.

24:1ComparetheChapteron''MithraicArt."

25:1DionChrys.,Or.,XXXVI.,39,etseq.(T.etM.,Vol.II.,p.60,No.461).

28:1Luc.,Menipp.,c.6(T.etM.,Vol.II.,p.22).

28:2Luc.,Deorumconc.,c.9,Jup.Trag.,c.8,c.13(T.etM.,ibid.)

28:3Basil.,Epist.238adEpiph.(T.etM.,Vol.I.,p.10,No.3).ComparePriscus,fr.31(I.342Hist.

min.,Dind.).

28:4SeetheChapteron"Liturgy,Clergy,&c."

THEMYSTERIESOFMITHRA

THEDISSEMINATIONOFMITHRAISMINTHEROMANEMPIRE

IT MAY be said, in a general way, that Mithra remained forever excluded from the Hellenic

world.TheancientauthorsofGreecespeakofhimonlyasaforeigngodworshippedbythe

kingsofPersia.EvenduringtheAlexandrianepochhehadnotdescendedfromtheplateauof

AsiaMinortotheshoresofIonia.InallthecountrieswashedbythegeanSea,onlyasingle

late inscription inthePirusrecallshisexistence,andweseek invainforhisnameamong

the numerous exotic divinities worshipped at Delos in the second century before our era.

Undertheempire, it istrue,mithrumsarefound indiversportsofthecoastofPhoenicia

and Egypt, near Aradus, Sidon, and Alexandria; but these isolated monuments only throw

intostrongerrelieftheabsenceofeveryvestigeoftheMithraicMysteries inthe interiorof

thecountry.TherecentdiscoveryofatempleofMithraatMemphiswouldappeartobean

exception that confirms the rule, for the Mazdean deity was probably not introduced into

thatancientcity until the timeof theRomans.He hasnotbeenmentionedhitherto inany

inscriptionofEgyptorAssyria,andthereislikewisenothingtoshowthataltarswereerected

to him even in the capital of the Seleucid. In these semiOriental empires the powerful

organizationoftheindigenousclergyandtheardentdevotionofthepeoplefortheirnational

idolsappeartohavearrestedtheprogressoftheinvaderandtohaveparalyzedhisinfluence.


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One characteristic detail shows that the Iranian yazata never made many converts in the

HellenicorHellenizedcountries.Greekonomatology,whichfurnishesaconsiderableseriesof

theophorousorgodbearingnamesindicatingthepopularitywhichthePhrygianandEgyptiandivinitiesenjoyed,hasnoMithrion,Mithrocles,Mithrodorus,orMithrophilus,toshowasthe

counterpartsofitsMenophili, itsMetrodoti,its Isidori,and itsSerapions.Allthederivatives

of Mithra are of barbaric formation. Although the Thracian Bendis, the Asian Cybele, the

SerapisoftheAlexandrians,andeventheSyrianBaals,weresuccessivelyreceivedwithfavor

in the cities of Greece, that country never extended the hand of hospitality to the tutelar

deityofitsancientenemies.

HisdistancefromthegreatcentersofancientcivilizationexplainsthebelatedarrivalofMithra

intheOccident.OfficialworshipwasrenderedatRometotheMagnaMaterofPessinusas

earlyas204B.C.;IsisandSerapismadetheirappearancethereinthefirstcenturybeforeour

era, and long before this they had counted their worshippers in Italy by multitudes. The

CarthaginianAstartehadatempleinthecapitalfromtheendofthePunicWars;theBellona

ofCappadociafromtheperiodofSulla;theDeaSyriaofHierapolisfromthebeginningofthe

empire,whenthePersianMysterieswerestilltotallyunknownthere.Andyetthesedeities

werethoseofanationoracityonly,whilethedomainofMithraextendedfromtheIndusto

thePontusEuxinus.

Butthisdomain,even intheepochofAugustus,wasstillsituatedalmostentirelybeyondthe

frontiersof theempire;andthe centralplateauofAsiaMinor,whichhad longresisted the

Hellenic civilization, remained even more hostile to the culture of Rome. This region of

steppes, forests, and pastures, intersected by precipitous declivities, and having a climate

morerigorous than thatofGermany, had no attractions for foreigners, and the indigenous

dynasties which, despite the state of vassalage to which they had been reduced, still held

theirgroundundertheearlyCsars,encouragedtheisolationthathadbeentheirdistinction

forages.Cilicia,itistrue,hadbeenorganizedasaRomanprovinceintheyear102B.C.,buta

few points only on the coast had been occupied at that period, and the conquest of the

countrywasnotcompleteduntiltwocenturieslater.Cappadociawasnotincorporateduntil

thereignofTiberius,thewesternpartofPontusuntilthereignofNero,andCommageneand

LesserArmenianotdefinitivelyuntilthereignofVespasian.Notuntilthenwereregularand

immediate relations established between these remote countries and the Occident. The

exigenciesofadministrationandtheorganizationofdefence,themutationsofgovernorsand

officers,therelievingofprocuratorsandrevenueofficers,theleviesoftroopsofinfantryand

cavalry, and finally the permanent establishment of three legions along the frontier of the

Euphrates, provoked a perpetual interchange of men, products, and ideas between these

mountainousdistrictshithertoclosedtotheworld,andtheEuropeanprovinces.Thencame

the great expeditions of Trajan, of Lucius Verus, of Septimius Severus, the subjection of


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Mesopotamia,andthefoundationofnumerouscoloniesinOsrhoeneandasfarasNineveh,

which formed the links of a great chain binding Iran with the Mediterranean. These

successive annexations of the Csars were the first cause of the diffusion of the MithraicreligionintheLatinworld.ItbegantospreadthereundertheFlaviansanddevelopedunder

theAntoninesandtheSeveri,justasdidanothercultpractisedalongsideofitinCommagene,

namely that of Jupiter Dolichenus,1 which made at the same time the tour of the Roman

empire.

According to Plutarch,2 Mithra was introduced much earlier into Italy. The Romans, by this

account,aresaidtohavebeen initiated intohisMysteriesbytheCilicianpiratesconquered

byPompey.Plutarch'stestimonyhasnothingimprobableinit.WeknowthatthefirstJewish

community established transTiberim (across the Tiber) was composed of captives that the

same Pompey had brought back from the capture of Jerusalem (63 B.C.). Owing to this

particularevent, it ispossiblethattowardstheendoftherepublicthePersiangodactually

hadfoundafewfaithfuldevoteesinthemixedpopulaceofthecapital.Butmingledwiththe

multitudesoffellowworshippersthatpractisedforeignrites,his littlegroupofvotariesdid

not attract attention. The yazata was the object of the same distrust as the Asiatics that

worshippedhim.TheinfluenceofthissmallbandofsectariesonthegreatmassoftheRoman

populationwasvirtuallyasinfinitesimalas istodaythe influenceofBuddhisticsocietieson

modernEurope.

It was not until the end of the first century that the name of Mithra began to be generally

bruited abroad in Rome. When Statius wrote the first canto of the Thebaid, about eighty

years after Christ, he had already seen typical representations of the tauroctonous hero,1

anditappearsfromthetestimonyofPlutarchthatinhistime(46125A.D.)theMazdeansect

already enjoyed a certain notoriety in the Occident.1 This conclusion is confirmed by

epigraphicdocuments.ThemostancientinscriptiontoMithrawhichwepossessisabilingual

inscription of a freedman of the Flavians (6996 A.D.). Not long after, a marble group is

consecratedtohimbyaslaveofT.ClaudiusLivianuswhowaspretorianprefectunderTrajan

(102A.D.)(Figure10).Theinvinciblegodmustalsohavepenetratedaboutthesametimeinto

central Italy, at Ners, in the country of thequi; a text of the year 172 A.D. has been

discovered which speaks of a mithrum that had "crumbled to pieces from old age." The

appearance of the invader in the northern part of the empire is almost simultaneous. It is

undoubted that the fifteenth legion brought the Mysteries to Carnuntum on the Danube

about thebeginningof thereign ofVespasian,andwealsoknow thatabout148A.D. they

werepractisedbythetroopsinGermany.UndertheAntonines,especiallyfromthebeginning

ofthereignofCommodus,theproofsoftheirpresenceaboundinallcountries.Attheendof

thesecondcentury,theMysterieswerecelebratedatOstiainatleastfourtemples.


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Fig.10.

TAUROCTONOUSMITHRA.(Marblegroupofthesecondcentury,BritishMuseum.)

Theremarkablefeatureofthisgroupisthatnotblood,butthreespikesofwheat,issue

fromthewoundofthebull.AccordingtotheMithraictheory,wheatandthevinesprang

fromthespinalcordandthebloodofthesacrificedanimal(seetheChapteron"The

DoctrineoftheMithraicMysteries").T.etM.,p.228.

Wecannotthinkofenumeratingallthecities inwhichourAsiaticcultwasestablished,norof

stating in each case the reasons why it was introduced. Despite their frequency, the

epigraphic texts and sculptured monuments throw but very imperfect light on the localhistoryofMithraism.Itisimpossibleforustofollowthedetailedstepsinitsadvancement,to

distinguish the concurrent influences exercised by the different churches, to draw up a

picture of the work of conversion, pursuing its course from city to city and province to

province.Allthatwecando isto indicate in largeoutlines inwhatcountries thenew faith

waspropagatedandwhowereingeneralthechampionsthatadvocatedit.

The principal agent of its diffusion was undoubtedly the army. The Mithraic religion is

predominantly a religion ofsoldiers, and itwas not without goodreason that the name of

militeswasgiventoacertaingradeof initiates.The influenceof thearmymayappear less

capableofaffordinganexplanationwhenonereflects thatunder theemperors the legions

werequartered instationaryencampments,andfromthetimeofHadrianat least(117138

A.D.)theywereseverallyrecruitedfromtheprovincesinwhichtheywerestationed.Butthis

generalrulewassubjecttonumerousexceptions.Thus,forexample,theAsiaticscontributed

for a long time the bulk of the effective troops in Dalmatia and Msia, and for a certain

periodinAfricaalso.Furthermore,thesoldierwhoafterseveralyearsofserviceinhisnative

country had been promoted to the rank of centurion was as a rule transferred to some

foreignstation;andafterhehadpassedthroughthedifferentstagesofhissecondchargehe

wasoftenassignedtoanewgarrison,sothattheentirebodyofcenturionsofanyonelegion


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constituted "a sort of microcosm of the empire."1 These officers were a potent source of

influence, for their very position insured to them a considerable moral influence over the

conscriptswhom itwastheirvocationtoinstruct. Inadditiontothis individualpropaganda,which is almost totally withdrawn from our ken, the temporary or permanent transfers of

single detachments, and sometimes of entire regiments, to remotely situated fortresses or

campsbroughttogetherpeopleofallracesandbeliefs.Finally,thereweretobefoundside

bysidewiththelegionarieswhowereRomancitizens,anequal,ifnotagreater,numberof

foreignauxilia,whodidnot,liketheircomrades,enjoytheprivilegeofservingintheirnative

country.Indeed,inordertoforestalllocaluprisings,itwasasetpartoftheimperialpolicyto

removetheseforeigntroopsasfaraspossiblefromthecountryoftheirorigin.Thus,under

theFlavians,the indigenousalorcohortsformedbutaminimalfractionoftheauxiliaries

thatguardedthefrontiersoftheRhineandtheDanube.

Among the recruits summoned from abroad to take the place of the national troops sent to

distant parts were numerous Asiatics, and perhaps no country of the Orient furnished,

relativelytotheextentofitsterritory,agreaternumberofRomansoldiersthanCommagene,

where Mithraism had struck deepest root. In addition to horsemen and legionaries, there

were levied in this country, probably at the time of its union with the empire, at least six

cohortsofallies(auxilia).NumerousalsowerethenativesoldiersofCappadocia,Pontus,and

Cilicia, not tospeak ofSyrians of all classes; and the Csarsdid not scruple even toenroll

thoseagilesquadronsofParthiancavalrywithwhosewarlikequalitiestheyhad,totheirown

cost,buttoooftenbeenmadeacquainted.

TheRomansoldierwas,asa rule,piousand evensuperstitious. Themany perils to whichhe

wasexposedcausedhimtoseekunremittinglytheprotectionofHeaven,andanincalculable

numberofdedicatory inscriptionsbearswitnessbothto thevivacityofhis faithandto the

variety of his beliefs. The Orientals especially, transported for twenty years and more into

countries which were totally strange to them, piously preserved the memories of their

nationaldivinities,andwhenevertheopportunityoffered, theydidnotfail toassemblefor

thepurposeofrenderingthemdevotion.Theyhadexperiencedtheneedofconciliatingthe

great lord(Baal),whoseangeraslittlechildrentheyhadlearnedtofear.Theirworshipalso

offeredanoccasion forreunion,and forrecalling tomemoryunder thegloomyclimatesof

the North their distant country. But their brotherhoods were not exclusive; they gladly

admitted to their rites those of their companions in arms, of whatever origin, whose

aspirations theofficialreligionof thearmy failedtosatisfy,andwhohopedtoobtainfrom

theforeigngodmoreefficacioussuccorintheircombats,or,incaseofdeath,ahappierlotin

thelifetocome.Afterwards,theseneophytes,transferredtoothergarrisonsaccordingtothe

exigencies of the service or the necessities of war, from converts became converters, and

formedaboutthemanewnucleusofproselytes.Inthismanner,theMysteriesofMithra,first


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broughttoEuropebysemibarbarianrecruitsfromCappadociaorCommagene,wererapidly

disseminatedtotheutmostconfinesoftheancientworld.

FromthebanksoftheBlackSeatothemountainsofScotlandandtothebordersofthegreat

SaharaDesert,alongtheentire lengthoftheRomanfrontier,Mithraicmonumentsabound.

LowerMsia,whichwasnotexploreduntilveryrecently,hasalreadyfurnishedanumberof

them,a circumstance which will not excite our astonishment when it is remembered that

Oriental contingents supplied in this province the deficiency of native conscripts. To say

nothingoftheportofTomi,legionariespractisedthePersiancultatTrosmis,atDurostorum,

andatscus,aswellasattheTropumTraiani,whichthediscoveryofthemonumentsof

AdamKlissihasrecentlyrenderedcelebrated.

In the interior of the country, this cult penetrated to Montana and to Nicopolis; and it isdoubtlessfromthesenortherncitiesthatitcrossedtheBalkansandspreadintothenorthern

partsofThrace,notablyaboveSerdica(Sofia)andasfarastheenvironsofPhilippopolisinthe

valleyoftheHebrus.AscendingtheDanube,itgainedafootingatViminacium,thecapitalof

UpperMsia;butweare ignorantoftheextenttowhichitspreadinthiscountry,whichis

stillimperfectlyexplored.Thenavalflotillathatpatrolledthewatersofthismightyriverwas

manned and even commanded by foreigners, and the fleet undoubtedly disseminated the

Asiaticreligioninalltheportsittouched.

We are better informed regarding the circumstances of the introduction of Mithraism into

Dacia.When in107A.D.Trajanannexedthisbarbarouskingdom totheRomanempire, the

country, exhausted by six years of obstinate warfare, was little more than a desert. To

repopulate it, theemperor transported to it,asEutropius1 tellsus,multitudesofcolonists

"extotoorbeRomano,"fromalltheterritoriesofRome.Thepopulationofthiscountrywas

evenmoremixed in thesecondcenturythan it istoday,wherealltheracesofEuropeare

still bickering and battling with one another. Besides the remnants of the ancient Dacians,

were found here Illyrians and Pannonians, Galatians, Carians, and Asiatics, people from

EdessaandPalmyra,andstillothersbesides,allofwhomcontinuedtopractisethereligions

of their native countries. But none of these cults prospered more than the Mysteries of

Mithra, and one is astounded at the prodigious development that this religion took during

the150yearsthattheRomandomination lasted inthisregion. Itflourishednotonly inthe

capital of the province, Sarmizegetusa, and in the cities that sprang up near the Roman

camps, like Potassa and notably Apulum, but along the entire extent of the territory

occupied by the Romans. Whereasone cannot find in Dacia, so far as I know, the slightest

vestigeofaChristiancommunity,fromthefortressSzamosUjvartothenorthernfrontierand

as faras Romula inWallachia, multitudesof inscriptions,ofsculptures,andofaltarswhich

haveescapedthedestructionofmithrumshavebeenfound.Thesedbrisespeciallyabound

inthecentralportionsofthecountry,alongthegreatcausewaythatfollowedthecourseof


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thevalleyoftheMaros,theprincipalarterybywhichthecivilizationofRomespreadintothe

mountains of the surrounding country. The single colony of Apulum counted certainly four

temples of the Persian deity, and the spelum of Sarmizegetusa, recently excavated, stillcontainsthefragmentsofaroundfiftyofbasreliefsandothervotivetabletswhichthepiety

ofthefaithfulhadthereconsecratedtotheirgod.

LikewiseinPannonia,theIranianreligionimplanteditselfinthefortifiedcitiesthatformedthe

chain of Roman defences along the Danube, in Cusum, Intercisa, Aquincum, Brigetio,

Carnuntum,Vindobona,andeveninthehamletsoftheinterior.Itwasespeciallypowerfulin

thetwoprincipalplacesofthisdoubleprovince,inAquincumandinCarnuntum;andinboth

ofthesecitiesthecausesofitsgreatnessareeasilydiscovered.Thefirstnamedcity,wherein

the third century the Mysteries were celebrated in at least five temples scattered over its

entire area, was the headquarters of the legioIIadjutrix,1 which had been formed in the

year 70 A.D. by Vespasian from sailors of the fleet stationed at Ravenna. Among the

freedmenthusadmitted intotheregulararmy,theproportionofAsiaticswasconsiderable,

anditisprobablethatfromtheverybeginningMithraismcountedanumberofadeptsinthis

irregular legion. When towards the year 120 A.D. it was established by Hadrian in Lower

Pannonia,itundoubtedlybroughtwithittothisplacetheOrientalculttowhichitappearsto

have remained loyal to the day of its dissolution. The legio Iadjutrix, which had a similar

origin,probablysowedthefertileseedsofMithraisminlikemannerinBrigetio,whenunder

Trajanitscampwastransferredtothatplace.

WecandeterminewithevengreaterprecisionthemannerinwhichthePersiangodarrivedat

Carnuntum. In 71 or 72 A.D., Vespasian caused this important strategic position to be

occupied by the legioXVApollinaris, which for the preceding eightor nineyears hadbeen

warring intheOrient.Sent in63A.D.totheEuphratestoreinforcethearmywhichCorbulo

was leading against the Parthians, it had taken part during the years 67 to 70 A.D. in

suppressing the uprisings of the Jews, and had subsequently accompanied Titus to

Alexandria.Thelosseswhichthisveteranlegionhadsufferedinthesesanguinarycampaigns

weredoubtlessmade goodwithrecruits levied in Asia.Theseconscriptswere forthemost

partprobably nativesofCappadocia,and itwas they that,after their transportation to the

Danubewiththeoldrankandfileofthelegion,therefirstofferedsacrificestotheIraniangod

whose name had been hitherto unknown in the region north of the Alps. There has been

foundatCarnuntumavotiveMithraic inscriptionduetoasoldieroftheApollinarian legion

bearing the characteristic name of Barbarus. The first worshippers of the Sol Invictus

consecratedtohimonthebanksoftherivera

semicircular grotto, which had to be restored from its ruins in the third century by a Roman

knight,andwhosehighantiquityisevidencedinallitsdetails.When,somefortyyearsafter

itsarrivalintheOccident,TrajanagaintransportedthefifteenthlegiontotheEuphrates,the


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Persian cult had already struck deep roots in the capital of Upper Pannonia. Not only the

fourteenth legion,geminaMartia,whichreplacedthatwhichhadreturnedtoAsia,butalso

thesixteenthandthethirteenthgemin,certaindetachmentsofwhichwere,asitappears,connected with the firstmentioned legion, succumbed to theallurements of the Mysteries

andcountedinitiatesintheirownranks.Soonthefirsttemplewasnolongeradequate,anda

secondwasbuilt,whichand this isan importantfactimmediatelyadjoinedthe templeof

JupiterDolichenusofCommagene.Amunicipalityhavingdevelopedalongsidethecampand

theconversionscontinuingtomultiply,athirdmithrumwaserected,probablytowardsthe

beginning of the second century, and its dimensions surpass those of all similar structures

hithertodiscovered.ItwasenlargedbyDiocletianandtheprincesassociatedwithhimin307

A.D.,whentheyheldtheirconferenceatCarnuntum.Thustheseprincessoughttogivepublic

testimony of their devotion to Mithra in this holy city, which of all those in the NorthprobablycontainedthemostancientsanctuariesoftheMazdeansect.

Thiswarlikepost,themostimportantintheentireregion,seemsalsotohavebeenthereligious

center from which the foreign cult radiated into the smaller towns of the surrounding

country. StixNeusiedl, where it was certainly practised from the middle of the second

century, was only a dependent village of this powerful city. But farther to the south the

temple of Scarbantia was enriched by a decurio coloni Carnunti. Towards the east the

territoryofquinoctiumhas furnishedavotive inscription to thePetrGenetrici,andstill

farther off at Vindobona (Vienna) the soldiers of the tenth legion had likewise learned

doubtless from theneighboringcamp,tocelebrate theMysteries.Even inAfrica,tracesare

found of the influence which the great Pannonian city exercised on the development of

Mithraism.

SeveralleaguesfromVienna,passingacrossthefrontierofNoricum,wecomeuponthehamlet

of Commagen, the name of which is doubtless due to the fact that a squadron of

Commageneans (an ala Commagenorum) was there quartered. One is not surprised,

therefore, to learn that a basrelief of the tauroctonous god has been discovered here.

Nevertheless,inthisprovince,asinRhtia,thearmydoesnotseemtohavetaken,asitdid

inPannonia,anactivepartinthepropagationoftheAsiaticreligion.AbelatedInscriptionof

aspeculator legionis INoricorum istheonlyone inthesecountriesthatmentionsasoldier;

andgenerallythemonumentsoftheMysteriesareverysparselyscatteredinthevalleyofthe

UpperDanube,wheretheRomantroopswereconcentrated.Theyarenotfoundinincreased

numbersuntil theother slopeof theAlps is reached, and theepigraphyof this lastnamed

regionforbidsustoassigntothemamilitaryorigin.


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Fig.11.

SUNGOD.

(FragmentfromthegrandbasreliefofVirunum,inNoricum.T.etM.,p.336.)

On the other hand, the marvellous extension that Mithraism took in the two Germanies is

undoubtedly due to the powerful army corps that defended that perpetually menaced

territory. We find here an inscription dedicated by a centurion to the SoliInvicto

Mithr,

abouttheyear148A.D.,anditisprobablethatinthemiddleofthesecondcenturythisgod

hadalreadyobtainedagoodlynumberofconvertsintheRomangarrisons.Alltheregiments

appeartohavebeenseizedwiththecontagion:thelegionsVIIIAugusta,XIIPrimigenia,and

XXXUlpia,thecohortsandauxiliaryal,aswellasthepickedtroopsofcitizenvolunteers.

Fig.12.

MITHRAICBASRELIEFOFOSTERBURKEN.

(Discoveredin1861neartheruinsofaRomanfort,intheOdenwald,Hesse.T.etM.,Plate

VI.)

So general a diffusion prevents us from telling exactly from what side the foreign religion

entered this country, but it may be assumed without fear of error that, save possibly at a

certainfewpoints,itwasnotimporteddirectlyfromtheOrient,butwastransmittedthrough

the agency of the garrisons on the Danube; and if we wish to assign . absolutely the

circumstancesofitsoriginwemaytakeitforgranted,witheverylikelihoodoftruth,thatthe

eighthlegion,whichwastransferredfromMsiatoUpperGermanyintheyear70A.D.,first


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practisedtherethereligionwhichwassoondestinedtobecomethepreponderatingoneof

thiscountry.

Of all countries Germany is that in which the greatest number of mithrums, or places of

Mithraic worship, has been discovered. Germany has given us the basreliefs having the

greatestdimensionsandfurnishingthemostcompleterepresentations;andcertainlynogod

of paganism ever found in this nation as many enthusiastic devotees as Mithra. TheAgri

Decumates, a strip of land lying on the right bank of the Rhine and forming the military

confines of the empire, together with the advance posts of the Roman military system

betweentheriverMainandthefortifiedwallsofthelimes,havebeenmarvellouslyfertilein

discoveries. North of Frankfort, near the village of Heddernheim, the ancient civitas

Taunensium,three important templeshavebeensuccessivelyexhumed (Figs.13,14),three

othersexisted inFriedberg in Hesse and threemorehavebeendug out in thesurrounding

country.On theotherside,alongtheentirecourseoftheRhine, fromAugst (Raurica)near

Basel as far as Xanten (Vetera), passing through Strassburg, Mayence, Neuwied, Bonn,

Cologne, and Dormagen, a series of monuments have been found which show clearly the

mannerinwhichthenewfaithspreadlikeanepidemic,andwasdisseminatedintothevery

heart of the barbarous

tribes of the Ubians and

Batavians.

FIG.13

PLANOFAMITHRUM

DISCOVEREDAT

HEDDERNHEIM.

A.Pronaoswithcolonnade.

B.Entrancetostairway.

CC.Sacristy(apparatorium?)

D.Vestibule.

E.Benchesrangedalongthesides.

F.Spacereservedforcelebrants.

G.Apsecontainingthesacredimages.(T.etM.,p.370.)


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Fig.14.

REVERSEOFTHEGRANDMITHRAICBASRELIEFOFHEDDERNHEIM,GERMANY.

Fig.15.

BASRELIEFOFNEUENHEIM,NEARHEIDELBERG,GERMANY.

This

monument,

which

escaped

mutilation

at

the

hands

of

the

early

fanatics,

was

discovered

in

1838inacavenearNeuenheim,avillageonthesouthernslopeoftheHeiligenberg,near

Heidelberg,byworkmenwhowerelayingthefoundationofafarmhouse.Itisinterestingas

distinctlyshowinginaseriesofsmallbasreliefstwelveimportantscenesfromthelifeof

Mithra,includingthefollowing:Hisbirthfromtherocks(topofleftborder),hiscaptureofthe

bull,whichhecarriestothecave(righthandborder),hisascenttoAhuraMazda(topborder).

Thesecondscenefromthetopoftheleftborderislikewiseinteresting;itrepresentsKronos

(Zervan)handingtoZeus(AhuraMazda)thescepterofthegovernmentoftheworld.


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TheinfluenceofMithraismamongthetroopsmassedalongtheRhenishfrontierisalsoproved

by the extension of this religion into the interior of Gaul. A soldier of the eighth legion

dedicated an altar to the Deo Invicto at Geneva, which lay on the military road fromGermany to the Mediterranean; and other traces of the Oriental cult have been found in

modernSwitzerlandandtheFrenchJura.InSarrebourg(PonsSaravi)atthemouthofthepass

leading from the Vosges Mountains, by which Strassburg communicated and still

communicates with the basins of the Mosel and the Seine, a spelum has recently been

exhumedthatdatesfromthethirdcentury;another,ofwhichtheprincipalbasrelief,carved

from the living rock, still subsists to our day, existed at Schwarzerden, between Metz and

Mayence. It would be surprising that the great city of Treves, the regular residence of the

Romanmilitarycommanders,haspreservedonlysomedbrisofinscriptionsandstatues,did

nottheimportantrlewhichthiscityplayedunderthesuccessorsofConstantineexplainthealmost total disappearance of the monuments of paganism. Finally, in the valley of the

Meuse, not far from the route that joins Cologne with Bavay (Bagacum), some curious

remainsoftheMysterieshavebeendiscovered.

FromBavay,thisrouteleadstoBoulogne(Gesoriacum),thenavalbaseoftheclassisBritannica

orBritannicfleet.Thestatuesofthetwodadophors,ortorchbearers,whichhavebeenfound

here and were certainly chiselled on the spot, were doubtless offered to the god by some

foreign mariner or officer of the fleet. It was the object of this important naval station to

keepindailytouchwiththegreatislandthatlayopposite,andespeciallywithLondon,which

evenatthisepochwasvisitedbynumerousmerchants.Theexistenceofamithruminthis

principalcommercialandmilitarydepotofBritainshouldnotsurpriseus.Generallyspeaking,

the Iranian cult was in no country so completely restricted to fortified places as in Britain.

Outside of York (Eburacum), where the headquarters of the troops of the province were

situated, it was disseminated only in the west of the country, at Carleon (Isca) and at

Chester(Deva),wherecampshadbeenestablishedtorepeltheinroadsoftheGallictribesof

theSiluresandtheOrdovices;andfinally inthenorthernoutskirtsofthecountryalongthe

wallofHadrian,whichprotectedtheterritoryoftheempirefromtheincursionsofthePicts

and the Caledonians. All the stations of this line of ramparts appear to have had their

Mithraic temple, where the commander of the place (prfectus) furnished an example of

devotionforhissubordinates.Itisevident,therefore,thattheAsiaticgodhadpenetratedin

thetrainofthearmytothesenorthernregions,butitisimpossibletodeterminepreciselythe

periodatwhichhereachedthisplaceorthetroopsbywhomhewascarriedthere.Butthere

isreasonforbelievingthatMithrawasworshippedinthesecountriesfromthemiddleofthe

secondcentury,andthatGermany1servedastheintermediaryagentbetweenthefarOrient

"EtpenitustotodivisosorbeBritannos."


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AttheotherextremityoftheRomanworldtheMysterieswerelikewisecelebratedbysoldiers.

TheyhadtheiradeptsinthethirdlegionencampedatLambseandinthepoststhatguarded

the defiles of the Aurasian Mountains or that dotted the frontiers of the Sahara Desert.Nevertheless,theydonotappeartohavebeenaspopulartothesouthoftheMediterranean

asinthecountriestothenorth,andtheirpropagationhasassumedhereaspecialcharacter.

Theirmonuments, nearlyallofwhichdate from laterepochs,aredue to theofficers,orat

least to the centurions, many of whom were of foreign origin, rather than to the simple

soldiers,nearlyallofwhomwerelevied inthecountrywhichtheywerechargedtodefend.

ThelegionariesofNumidiaremainedfaithfultotheirindigenousgods,whowereeitherPunic

orBerber inorigin,andonlyrarelyadoptedthebeliefsofthecompanionswithwhomtheir

vocationofarmshadthrownthemincontact.Apparently,therefore,thePersianreligionwas

practised in Africa almost exclusively by those whom military service had called to thesecountriesfromabroad;andthebandsofthefaithfulwerecomposedforthemostpart,ifnot

ofAsiatics,atleastofrecruitsdrawnfromtheDanubianprovinces.

Finally, in Spain, the country of the Occident which is poorest in Mithraic monuments, the

connectionof theirpresencewith thatof thegarrisons isno lessmanifest.Throughout the

entireextentofthisvastpeninsula,inwhichsomanypopulouscitieswerecrowdedtogether,

theyarealmosttotallylacking,eveninthelargestcentersofurbanpopulation.Scarcelythe

faintestvestigeofaninscriptionisfoundinEmeritaandTarraco,thecapitalsofLusitaniaand

Tarraconensis.But intheuncivilizedvalleysofAsturiasandGallciathe Iraniangodhadan

organized cult. This fact will be immediately connected with the prolonged sojourn of a

Roman legion in this country, which remained so long unsubjugated. Perhaps the

conventiclesoftheinitiatedalsoincludedveteransoftheSpanishcohortswho,afterhaving

servedasauxiliariesontheRhineandtheDanube,returnedtotheirnativehearthsconverted

totheMazdeanfaith.

Thearmythusunitedinthesamefoldcitizensandemigrantsfromallpartsoftheworld;kept

up an incessant interchangeof officersandcenturions and even of entirearmycorps from

oneprovincetoanother,accordingtothevaryingneedsoftheday;infine,threwouttothe

remotestfrontiersoftheRomanworldanetofperpetualcommunications.Yetthiswasnot

the only way in which the military system contributed to the dissemination of Oriental

religions.Aftertheexpirationoftheirtermofservice,thesoldierscontinuedintheirplacesof

retirementthepracticestowhichtheyhadbecomeaccustomedunderthestandardsofthe

army;andtheysoonevokedintheirnewenvironmentnumerousimitators.Frequentlythey

settled in the neighborhood of their latest station, in the little towns which had gradually

replaced in theneighborhoodof themilitary camps theshopsofthesutlers.At times,too,

theywouldchoosetheirhomesinsomelargecityofthecountrywheretheyhadserved,to

pass there with their old comrades in arms the remainder of their days. Lyons always


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shelteredwithin itswallsa largenumberof theseveteran legionariesof theGermanarmy,

and the only Mithraic inscription that London has furnished us was written by a soldier

emeritusofthetroopsofBritain. Itwascustomaryalsofortheemperortosenddischargedsoldierstosomeregionwhereacolonywastobefounded;ElusainAquitaniawasprobably

madeacquaintedwiththeAsiaticcultbyRhenishveteranswhomSeptimiusSeverus(193211

A.D.) established in this region. Frequently, the conscripts whom the military authorities

transportedtotheconfinesoftheempireretainedathearttheirlovefortheirnativecountry,

with which they never ceased to sustain relations; but when, after twenty or twentyfive

cumont mysteries of mithra

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