Who is Mithras? That’s the topic of my brand-new video!
Mithras was a god worshipped by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago (shown here in a relief in Berlin’s Neues Museum). He was the hero god of the religion called mithraism, which we categorize today as a “mystery cult.” This means that the religion was based on mysterious rituals practiced by the initiated and kept secret from everyone else.
As you can imagine, reconstructing an ancient religion that was deliberately kept secret is extremely difficult! So there is a lot about this religion that we still don’t know.
But ancient art, like the relief in Berlin, gives us some hints. It shows Mithras and a number of other figures that help us reconstruct mithraic mythology. Find out about them in this 3D model of the relief made by Modicolitor! Zoom in, turn it around, and click on the highlighted details to learn more about them. In my video you can find out even more.
In addition, a seminar at Heidelberg University made lovely 3D reconstructions of candlelit mithraea – check them out here.
This is actually a big year for Mithras in museums, as right now there is a European research project about Mithras. It will bring an exhibition about him to museums in Belgium (on show until April!), France, and Germany. That will sure be interesting!