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Palmyrene Horsearcher Hunting
Left Side of Shrine to the God Mithras (Mithraeum), Dura Europos, Syria, c.240AD.
Yale University Art Gallery.

Photo by Brad Hostetler

Shrine to the God Mithras (Mithraeum)
ca. A.D. 240
Painted plaster

162.5 × 206.4 cm (64 × 81 1/4 in.)
Yale-French Excavations at Dura-Europos
1935.100
A shrine to the god Mithras, the Mithraeum at Dura-Europos was commissioned in A.D. 168–69 by Palmyrene archers serving in the Roman army. It was renovated and enlarged in A.D. 209–11. The reconstruction on view here represents the third and final phase, dating to around A.D. 240. Unlike most Mithraea, which were underground to commemorate the god’s birth in a cave, the Dura Mithraeum was built into a private house.

The cult of Mithras attained popularity in the Roman period among soldiers and merchants. Restricted to men, it was a mystery religion thought to include initiation, ritual banquets, and the promise of salvation after death. The primary cult image was the tauroctony, or Mithras slaying the Cosmic Bull, often paired with an image of Mithras banqueting with Sol, god of the sun. Other common images included events from the life of Mithras and zodiac signs.

While the subjects depicted in most Mithraea are similar, style and composition vary. The Dura Mithraeum contained two tauroctony reliefs, one above the other. The side walls showed Mithras as a mounted archer in a presentation that would have resonated with the Palmyrene archers who founded the shrine.
Source: Yale University Art Gallery 1935.100