RITUAL OBJECTS

Among the smaller objects found in excavations of Mithraea, ceramic items for practical use as well as objects used to provide light are the most numerous. Many of these items are not specifically made for the Mithras cult, but many were decorated with motifs that would appeal to initiates in the religion.

Bones recovered from these sites reveal the use of a wide range of animal products for these occasions. Findings include remains of bulls, cows, pigs, sheep, lamb, goats, birds such as geese and chicken, and fish. In a few instances egg shells and shellfish remains have been found. In Dura-Europos (Syria) price lists have been found carved into the walls of the sanctuary with information on the cost of meat, wine and sauce (CIMRM 64, 65). Occasionally food seems to have been prepared in the Mithraeum itself. In Linz (Austria) a kitchen was found in the temple complex and in Carrawburgh (Great Britain) a hearth with remains of ashes and wood coal has been excavated. Furthermore, pans, lids and spoons have been found; dishes in such pots may also have been brought from nearby houses.

The eating and drinking utensils used by the Mithras initiates range from simple pottery to carefully decorated vessels, depending on the financial status of the congregation, or of the owner/sponsor. The more finely decorated items display pictures and symbols that resemble those of the reliefs. This has, for instance, allowed archaeologists to determine that a shard of terra sigillata ware was connected to the Mithras cult. The image of a snake on the shard would not in itself constitute sufficient evidence, but the lion and, in particular, the person disguised as a lion clearly contextualize the item as a piece of a Mithraic ritual vessel.

One of the most beautiful pieces is a bowl from Civita Lavinia. As one turns the bowl, two of Mithras’s deeds can be seen. Both of these serve to remind the viewer of the power of the deity, a power that one could imagine passed from the bowl to the liquid within (probably wine) and then into the initiate. We see Mithras carrying the bull and then the slaying of the bull by the god as the central motif of all reliefs. Such ritual vessels were dedicated by individual members of the congregation to the deity, and could be the object of a vow. An initiate dedicates ten terra sigillata vessels to the unconquered god Mithras and thus fulfils his vow (CIMRM 1302 and 1303).

Lamps burned in honour of Mithras as god of the sun, fire and light, coals glowed in the braziers and lighting was used both in order to illuminate the dark cave sanctuaries and to create an atmosphere with a magical mood. Lighting in particular was used to stage the sacred drama. This can be seen from representations of torch bearers, from lion statues that symbolized and occasionally spewed forth fire, from the traces of pitch from torches found on some altars, and from findings of braziers, censers and oil lamps.

Smaller lamps seem to have served to illuminate single images and votive inscriptions, as can be seen from archaeological finds. A tauroctony relief shows such a lamp from which a sword is hanging, placed next to Mithras’s head. To understand the effect of the reliefs on those present, we need to understand how oil lamps and torches dimly lit up the sanctuary with flickering light, creating reflexes and casting shadows on the images. Some of the figures may seem roughly crafted with large wide-open eyes, but in this lighting the effect is magical and evocative. It is thus quite possible that some images were specifically made to suit the dim light of the Mithraea.

On one altar from Bingen (Germany) the Sun god Mithras is portrayed in characteristic iconography: on his head is a radiant crown, he is clad in a cloak and holds a whip. On this altar the (now damaged) radiant crown protrudes from the stone and could be lit up from behind (see Wortmann 1969). Lighting effects must have been particularly impressive in the Mithraeum in Carrawburgh (Great Britain), where remains of pine cones have been found (Richmond & Gilliam 1951). Not only do such cones burn slowly while giving off a pleasant aroma, but they were also symbolic objects. Several reliefs depict the birth of Mithras from a cliff in a manner such that the stone looks like an egg-shaped pine cone. In this way the cones of the pine tree could be seen as symbols of the birth of Mithras. It may well be that, as the pine cones gradually began to glow, so the Sun god’s radiant crown began to light up and Mithras seemed actually to be born in the cave. As Servius (Ad Aeneidem [On the Aeneid] 2.116) suggested: “In ritual, imitation has the same meaning as reality.”