Mithraeum of the Animals 01
The mithraeum was built in the 2nd Century AD, set against the wall surrounding the Campus of the Magna Mater, in a hall with three rows of brick piers and pilasters.
On the floor is a black-and-white mosaic. It contains a marble threshold at the point where the podia begin. There are five depictions, from south to north: - A naked man, holding a pruning knife and some sort of shovel. A few white tesserae suggest that the latter object is perforated. A similar symbol is found in the Mithraeum of Felicissimus, where it refers to the grade Leo. It was used to carry fire. The hair of the naked man may be the lion's mane. But in the Mithraeum of Felicissimus the knife refers to the grade Perses. Apparently this depiction is a reference to two grades of initiation. - A cock, announcing the morning, attribute of Cautes, and a raven, the herald of Mithras and a grade of initiation (corax). - A scorpion, that on reliefs attacks the testicles of the bull that is killed by Mithras. - A snake with a comb, on reliefs drinking the blood of the bull.
- The head and tail of the bull, and in front of the head part of a knife (half of which is missing, as if it is in the neck of the bull).
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Mitreo degli AnimaliDas Mitreo degli Animali befindet sich in der antiken römischen Hafenstadt Ostia und wurde um 160 n. Chr. errichtet. Es ist damit das älteste bekannte Mithrasheiligtum der Stadt, in der sich bisher mehr als ein Dutzend solcher Heiligtümer fanden. .. weiterlesen