STATUE OF MITHRAS

ITALY too — 200 CE When Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire back in the 4th century CE, pagan (non-Christian) worship became a punishable offence, and pagans were promptly persecuted. This led to the decline of many pagan religions and cults. The worship of the god Mithras was one of these.
The details of beliefs and practices surrounding the worship of Mithras have been lost in time. This is mainly because followers conducted ceremonies in secret, inside a subterranean temple known as the Mithraeum. Fortunately, many reliefs and sculptures have survived. In this specific sculpture, Mithras pierces a bull’s throat. A dog and a snake lap up the flowing blood, while a scorpion attacks the bull’s genitals. The symbolism is believed to have strong cosmological significance as Mithras is thought to be associated with the sun.