Unknown
Roman
Mithras Sacrificing the Bull (The Tauroctony), 2nd c. CE, second half
gray, dense, finely-grained marble
19 x 33 x 11 in.
SBMA, Bequest of Suzette M. Davidson
2002.31.1
COMMENTS
Mithras was the Roman God of Light and Protector of Mankind. He was particularly popular among Roman soldiers who considered themselves as protectors of mankind. Consequently, evidence of Mithras worship has been found in the far reaches of the Roman Empire from Britain to the Euphrates. Worshipers of Mithras were cult like with their secret initiation rites, hymns, and chants, which took place in dark places away from natural light. Only men participated and these rituals thrived for nearly three centuries during Christianity’s early period. The image in this sculpture of Mithras Sacificing a Bull is found repeatedly in Roman paintings and sculpture. The God atop the bull grasps the beast below its muzzle pulling the neck back while plunging his sword into the right shoulder. The missing head of Mithras in this sculpture was probably held in a gaze downward toward the sword as judged from neck remnants and other images of this sacrificial act. Also usually present is a dog and snake biting the bull or drinking its blood implying nourishment being received in a kind of fertility theme. Also depicted is a scorpion at the bull’s genitals with its tail always in a non-stinging position. Again fertility may be symbolized but also the astrological opposites of Scorpio and Taurus (the bull.)
Who was Mithras? He was a pagan god in polytheistic Rome. As we know, religions worshiping just one god are relatively unique in the history of religion. Mithras was one of many gods worshiped by the Romans. Hew as a cult deity and not well know as were the major gods such as Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, and Venus. But he was important nonetheless as evidenced by the ruins of some 100 temples erected in his honor. Mithras evolved from much earlier Indian Hindu and Persian gods dating to at least 1400 B.C.E. His worship thrived in the Roman empire between the 1st and 4th centuries C.E. One reason for saying that Mithras was an important god lies in his teachings and myths, which included the following tenents and stories.
A. He was known as the Light of the World.
B. He was conceived by a virgin mother.
C. He was born on December 25th in a cave.
D. He was referred to as the savior of mankind and the son of God.
E. He had 12 disciples.
F. There were stories of him healing the sick, making the lame and blind whole, and raising the dead.
G. He died celibate at age 64 after being crucified and buried in a cave from which he later rose.
This sounds familiar to many Christians. It is possible that significant parts of the Christ story were borrowed from the much earlier pagan God, Mithras? We will never really know as there is no written record of Mithracism as other religions often have (e.g., the Christian Bible and the Hebrew Torah). Nearly all that is known about Mithracism comes from archeological artifacts such as the sculpture in SBMA’s Ludington Gallery. There is some record in early Christian writings that followers of Christ aggressively destroyed Mithriums (temples); even a record that St. Peter’s Basilica was built on the site of a former Mithrium. The demise of Mithracism after flourishing from several centuries came about not only because of Christian suppression, but because it was a very select mystery cult with membership limited to just a few initiated followers. Women were excluded from worship. Only men were allowed in the temples and made privy to secret rites. In that regard, it was analogous to fraternities found on today’s college campuses.
On the other hand, Christianity had a broad appeal. All were welcome. Mithracism’s exclusivity contributed to its relatively short life in the history of Roman Gods. What evidence we do have that Mithracism flourished for 400+ years at about the same time as early Christianity? Our evidence is nearly all archeological: no books, scrolls, or tablets etched in stone. That archeological evidence is primarily in the form of Mithrium or temples. They have been found in significant numbers throughout the ancient Roman Empire from Britain to mid-Europe to the Euphrates, the full geographical span of the Roman Empire at its height. About 100 ruins of such temples have been found. They were concentrated around Rome but were found wherever there were Roman soldiers, accounting for the great spread from Britain to the Euphrates. Mithras was popular among Roman legionnaires because he espoused truth, honor, courage, discipline, and justice, and he was protector of mankind--all values held by Roman militiamen. Moreover, his was a macho religion for men only and consequently a logical god for me on frontiers of the Roman Empire away from Roman women.
What were Mithras’ temples like? They were not large stone monuments usually associate with other Roman and predecessor Greed gods. Often, they were caves (remember, Mithras was born in a cave). If not actual caves, they were made to look like caves--windowless with tone walls and ceilings supported by timbers. They were always small: no larger than could accommodate 30 to 40 worshipers on benches along the long walls. At one end of the temple was an altar on which rested a figure usually Mithras sacrificing a bull. If not a statue, the image was by painting or in a relief sculpture.
Some of the finest Mithrium ruins have been found along the site of Hadrian’s Wall in Great Britain. The Roman Emperor Hadrian saw need to consolidate the Empire rather than to expand it. As part of that effort, in the year 133 he ordered a wall built to separate the barbarians in the North from the Romans and to formalize the frontier of the Empire. The wall was 80 miles long, 8 to 12 feet high, built of turf and stone. Sections still exist for tourists to see today. Three Mithriums have been uncovered near the wall. They were built to serve the Roman soldiers who garrisoned the wall.
What went on in these temples of worship? There were secret rituals and initiation rites. One, for example, was the actual sacrifice of a bull on a wooden pallet covering a pit in which worshipers huddled. Blood from the bull flowed down through openings in the pallet, thus baptizing Mithras’ followers underneath. In all there were seven progressively difficult and arduous rites which devotees endured, each with designated symbols (i.e., a raven, a lion, a soldier, etc.). At the high highest rite level, a man was designated as a father or priest and then could lead worship himself. The Christian designation of “Father” in identifying members of the priesthood may have had its precedent in Mithracism.
The Mithraic sculpture in Ludington court is a religious icon, not intended as a work of art but is now displayed in an art museum just as we display Buddhas or other religious icons created by significant artistic talent. As might be sad to student tourees, “What is going on here?” Is the man killing the bull as an evil, harmful, aggressive creature? No, indeed. Mithras is sacrificing the bull for the benefit of mankind. The blood of the bull (considered to be the first animal on Earth) is to nourish man. The bull is symbolic of man’s life force. The dog and the snake, always found with this iconic image, are receiving the bulls’ blood as nourishment. They are not attacking the bull but rather benefiting from the sacrifice. How do we know this? The scorpion’s tail is not up in an attack position. It is receiving the bull’s semen, symbolic of fertility for mankind. Again, the bull is seen as a source of man’s life force.
Now, here is an anomaly in this particular sculpture. Nearly all literature regarding this image indicates that the bull’s tail ended in a shock of wheat representing the giving of food to man, but not the SBMA bull. He has a broken tail with a piece missing but the tip is clearly visible against Mithras’ cape, showing the usual tail hair, not a shock of wheat. Why this discrepancy from the myth? That remains a mystery, perhaps the topic for a future doctoral dissertation or at least a docent research paper. Something else is notably different in this representation of a Roman god compared to others such as Hercules, Hermes, and Apollo. This god is fully clothed and not a hunk of masculinity. If his head were present, it would be that of a beardless youth. His body is modestly covered with a tunic. Leggings go down to the ankles and sleeves full cover his arms.
Other images of Mithras also show his head covered by a hood. Consequently, all that is usually seen in the image of Mithras is his face, hands, and feet. Why this difference from the usual clothed Roman male god? It may stem from earlier Hindu and Persian depictions of Mithras. Those cultures did not idealize the human body as did the Greeks and Romans, hence this somewhat different god with a modestly covered physique.
Little is known about the provenance of the SBMA Mithratic sculpture. We know that it is of gray marble, finely grained, and that it is in remarkably good shape. Aside from the missing head and tail, there are few chips or abrasions--truly museum quality. Where it was found is unknown but because of its quality it probably was on an altar of an important Mithrium. Its size is about right for that (approximately 2 ft by 3 ft). The piece was gifted by Suzette Davidson and the curatorial file on it is very sparse--just a sales receipt indicating that Ms. Davidson purchased it from a dealer in Rome during 1973, just 30 years ago. That leaves nearly 1900 years mysteriously unaccounted for. Mithras’s followers would like that as theirs was a mystery cult. They would not want others to know much about their god and to this very day we do not.
- Addendum from Continuing Education Highlight Presentation to the Docent Council, 2/19/03