The Cult of Mithras: Rome’s Secret Religion | Full Documentary

Описание: Mithraism was one of the Roman Empire’s most secretive mystery cults, practiced in underground temples by soldiers, merchants, and officials. This documentary examines the bull-slaying reliefs, the initiation grades, and the ritual life of the Mithraic Mysteries, drawing on archaeology, inscriptions, and iconography. It also explores the cult’s cosmic symbolism, its rivalry with early Christianity, and the aftermath of a faith that once spread across the empire before disappearing from public life.

Chapters:

00:00 Into the Cave of a Secret Roman God
06:43 Why Romans Needed New Gods
11:02 Debunking the Persian Connection
15:21 The First Historical Traces
19:36 The Central Mithraic Icon
23:29 A Breakdown of the Bull-Slaying Scene
28:10 How the Stars Explain Everything
32:55 The Mithraeum
36:47 7 Grades of Initiation
41:01 A Secret Brotherhood
44:44 Who Worshipped Mithras
48:55 The Promise of the Faith
52:59 Following Legions & Trade Routes
56:46 Mithraism vs. Early Christianity
01:04:14 Why Christianity Won

This video is imagined as audio-first presentation, and it is based on established academic sources, and accounts. If you have any questions or disagreements, please leave a comment or reach out via email. On our channel, as in science, debate is strongly encouraged.

Sources & Further Reading:

Roger Beck, The Religion of the Mithras Cult in the Roman Empire (OUP, 2006).
Manfred Clauss (tr. R. Gordon), The Roman Cult of Mithras (Routledge, 2000).
Richard L. Gordon, “Who Worshipped Mithras?” Journal of Roman Archaeology 7 (1994): 459–474.
M. J. Vermaseren, Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae (2 vols., 1956–60).



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Image Credits:

Relief from Walbrook Mithraeum: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mithraeum in Osterburken: Haselburg-müller, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mithras-Sol from Rome: User:PHGCOM, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mithraeum under San Clemente, Rome: Serge Ottaviani, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mithraeum in Fertőrákos, Hungary: CristianChirita, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tauroctony from Neuenheim: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Grades of Initiation Mosaic from Ostia: Philippe Chavin, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Mithraeum at Carrawburgh (Hadrian's Wall): Mark Landon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Edits: cropped, scaled, and color-adjusted for clarity.
CC BY-SA images appear here within a larger collective work and remain under their original licenses.

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