Summary

Intaglio of a Mithraic Sacrifice ( )
Artist	Anonymous ( Greece ) Unknown author
Title	Intaglio of a Mithraic Sacrifice
Description	English: Mithras was a Persian creation god, as well as the god of light. Mithraism, the mystery religion associated with him, spread throughout the Roman Empire. Initiation into Mithraism was restricted to men and was especially popular with soldiers in Rome and on the northern frontier during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. According to the Persian myth, the sun god sent his messenger, the raven, to Mithras and ordered him to sacrifice the primeval white bull. At the moment of its death, the bull became the moon, and Mithras's cloak became the sky, stars, and planets. From the bull also came the first ears of grain and all the other creatures on earth. This scene of sacrifice, central to Mithraism, is called the Tauroctony and is represented as taking place in a cave, observed by Luna, the moon god, and Sol, the invincible Sun god, with whom he became associated in Roman times. Mithras is generally depicted flanked by his two attendants, Cautes and Cautopates, and accompanied by a dog, raven, snake, and scorpion. In front of the cosmic cave, Mithras, flanked by his two torchbearers, Cautes and Cautopates, sacrifices the primeval bull. He is surrounded by his attributes, a dog, a snake, and the heads of the sun and moon gods. This is a rare early representation of the Tauroctony, and its fine carving and realistic detail differ from later versions of the god's image.
Date	late 1st century BC (Augustan)
Medium	sard, gold mount
Dimensions	2.2 × 2.3 × 0.8 cm (0.8 × 0.9 × 0.3 in)
Collection	Walters Art Museum Native name Walters Art Museum Location Baltimore , United States of America Coordinates 39° 17′ 48″ N, 76° 36′ 58″ W Established 1934 Website thewalters.org Authority file : Q210081 VIAF : 128918374 ISNI : 000000040373611X ULAN : 500279110 LCCN : no00096900 GND : 16029354-6 WorldCat institution QS:P195,Q210081
Accession number	42.1342
Place of creation	Nemea (?) (in present-day Greece)
Object history	Evans [date and mode of acquisition unknown] Evans Collection Sale, 1938 [no. 216] Hirsch [date and mode of acquisition unknown] Walters Art Museum, 1942, by purchase
Credit line	Museum purchase, 1942
Source	Walters Art Museum : Home page Info about artwork
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