Mithraeum: Relief Sculptures

The Mithraeum at Dura Europos is situated on the outer wall of the city between the 23^rd and 24^th gates. It was founded around 168 CE and is different for a mithraeum, as it wasn’t built into a cave as other mithraea often are. It was rebuilt twice, once around 210 CE to make the sanctuary larger, and for the last time around 240 CE, possibly to add a new, cave-like roof.

At the Mithraeum in Dura Europos, there are two bas-relief sculptures featuring Mithras in a tauroctone scene (killing the bull), which is the chief cult scene of Mithraism.

The story of Mithras’ life says that he caught the wild bull and brought it to the cave where he lived; it later escaped and he was commanded by the Sun (Ormazd) to hunt it down and kill it. When he killed the bull, herbs and plants sprang from its body, wheat came from its spinal cord, vines came from its blood, and all of the other animals of the world came from its seed.

The bottom relief is the older one, dedicated to the god by an army officer named Ethpeni in 168 CE. The top relief is slightly newer, dedicated by a new army officer named Zenobios in 170 CE. It is a larger composition that contains an arch at the top with figures of the zodiac underneath; alongside the tauroctone scene are suspected figures of the dedicant and possibly his family.