Mithraic Iconography and Ideology

540 Pages·1968·67.796 MB·English

by  Leroy A. Campbell

MITHRAIC ICONOGRAPHY
AND IDEOLOGY
ETUDES PRELIMINAIRES
AUX RELIGIONS ORIENTALES
DANS L'EMPIRE ROMAIN
PUBLIEES PAR
M. J. VERMASEREN
TOME ONZIEME
LEROY A. CAMPBELL
MITHRAIC ICONOGRAPHY AND IDEOLOGY
LEIDEN
J.
E. BRILL
1968
LEROY A. CAMP BELL
MITHRAIC ICONOGRAPHY
AND IDEOLOGY
WITH 26 FIGURES AND 45 PLATES
LEIDEN
J.
E. BRILL
1968
Copyrighl 1968 by E. J. Brill, Leiden, Nelherlands
All rights reserved. No parI of Ihis book may be reproduced
or Iranslaled in any form, by prinl, phOIOprinl, microfilm or
any olher means withoul wrilfen permission from Ihe publisher
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
In Memoriam
M. I. ROSTOVTZEFF
VIRI ER VDITISSIMI ET SCRIPTORIS PRAESTA NTIS
MIHIQUE MYSTAGOGI ATQUE AMICI

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ILL USTRATIONS XIX
PREFACE ... XXI
INTRODUCTION. I
a) Relief types of composition. I
b) Tauroctone subtypes .... 2
c) Scope and method of analysis. 3
d) Local differences in ideology
4
I. THE MITHRAIC CAVE • 6
a) Naturalistic. 7
b) Artificial. . 7
c) Architectural 8
d) Origin of the cave motive. 8
e) Association of cave and cattle thief 8
f) Fusion of cave types. . . . . . .
9
I. Relief of Poetovio 11 (I5IO) - 2. Relief of Poetovio III
(I579) - 3. Relief of Nersae (650) - 4. Relief of Qua
draro (3u) - 5. Origins of pictorial art
11. FOUR TAUROCTONE ASSISTANTS 12
a) Dog .......... . 12
I. Other associations on the monuments - 2. In Iran -
3. In Egypt - 4. In Greece: guardian between two worlds
b) Snake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. IS
I. Other associations on the monuments - 2. On bases
from Rome (525-6) and Trier (992) - 3. Emerges from a
hole - 4. At the middle of the Mithraeum - 5. Mithraic
origin not Zoroastrian - 6. In Greek religion - 7. Pneu
matic soul in transition: Mithraic metempsychosis - 8. A
cosmic Agathos Daimon of Fire - 9. As female and gene
rative power
VIII CONTENTS
c) Raven ......... . 22
I. And eagle - 2. Other associations on the monuments-
3. Altars of Poetovio (r496) and Carnuntum (r706) -
4. A bird of sky power - 5. As Varegan, incarnation of
Verethraghna - 6. Bird of night, cock of morning
d) Scorpion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. Other associations on the monuments - 2. Beneficent
rather than hostile - 3. Of Semitic rather than Iranian
origin
Ill. THE TORCHBEARERS: Cautes and Cautopates 29
a) Western iconography earlier . . 29
I. Western type - 2. Eastern type
b) Normal and South Iranian positions. 30
I. Sometimes not differentiated by their torches - 2.
Eastern type on subtypes C, D, and E - 3. South Iranian
positions on subtypes C and D - 4. Diversity of types in
Middle Europe especially
c) Origins of Western and Eastern typologies 33
d) Differences in their ideologies. . . . . 34
e) Connections with the death of the bull . 35
f) Connections with the seasons . . . . . 35
I. Seasonal and other symbols - 2. Confusions in seasonal
ideology
g) Color symbolism and the seasons: Capua fresco
(r8r). . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
I. Barberini fresco (390) - 2. Third century tauroctone
painting (386) - 3. On Esquiline tauroctone relief (350)
h) Cosmic associations on Heddernheim III monument
(II27) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 40
I. Cautes with globe (9r8), Cautopates with key (rIIo
II63) - 2. Cautopates with rain, Moon bust, and Natura
dei symbols
CONTENTS IX
i) Their positions in the Mithraea 42
j) Other associations. . . . . . 42
IV. THE ZODIAC AND MITHRAIC ORIENTATION 44
a) Anatolian-Mesopotamian typology of the signs 45
I. Emphasis on ancient equinoctial and solstitial signs -
2. Emphasis on opposite halves of the zodiac
b) Two orders of the signs: clockwise and counter-clock-
wise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 47
I. Western order clockwise - 2. Eastern order counter
clockwise
c) Different orientations indicated: the southern. 48
I. Eastern and northern
d) Mithraeum, a replica of the cosmos 49
I. Porphyrius (De antro, 7-9) on its symbolism - 2. Phy
sical problems of orienting a Mithraeum
e) Mithraea listed according to orientations SI
I. Cultural causes and differences - 2. Geographical
differences
f) Porphyrius (De antro, 22-24) on Mithraic orientation 54
I. North for Genesis, South for Apogenesis - 2. Cautes
over Genesis, Cautopates over Apogenesis
g) Problem of Thiimos and Psyche. . . 57
I. Zoroastrian doctrine of man as being fivefold - 2.
Meaning of Menok and Fravahr - 3. Correlation of the
five parts of man, planetary powers, and grades - 4. Por
phyrius (De antro, 29) on Moon gate for Genesis and Sun gate
for Apogenesis, under Saturnus in Capricorn - 5. Cauto
pates as Despotes and Cautes as Demiurgos of Genesis -
6. Anahita and the Bull as Demiourgos of Genesis -
7. Mithra-Verethraghna as a dagger-god Ares - 8. Orien
tation equinoctial according to Porphyrius