About
An ancient cult's underground sanctuary.
One of the largest and most mysterious Mithraic temples of Rome is located by the renowned Circus Maximus. Discovered in 1931 during fascist-era building projects, it is a small subterranean space that was used to observe the practices of the cult of Mithras. A number of mithraeums exist across the former Roman Empire, such as those in London, Germany, France and Hungary, although not much is known about what this movement would have actually entailed. The widespread popularity of these Mysteries began from the 1st to 4th centuries AD, being accessible only to those initiated into them and their rituals remaining closely guarded secrets. The central image found in these centres is that of ‘tauroctony’; Mithras killing a bull - which appears ubiquitously within mithraeums. Whilst connections have been made between this god and Iranian Mitra due to certain philosophical claims from 3-4th century Porphyry, many theories relate that he did not understand what he was referring to. Finally, at the end of 4th century Christianity spread rapidly throughout Rome resulting in absolution for this cult.
