Mithras Cult in Germany

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   An exhibition in the "Museum f�r Vor-und Fr�hgeschichte Saarbr�cken" in Germany, shows how widespread the Mithras Cult was in the 2nd and 3th centuries.( But also, how extremely diverse religios practises in the Roman Empire were.) 
It was possibly the most important competitor to the rising Christian religion, and from its origins in the eastern territories of the Roman Empire, it had soon spread over its entire provinces. There are  a number of parallels between the two rival cults, the two main figures being the bearer of a promise of eternal salvation as the most significant. 
The exhibition contains a number of archaeological finds from the Roman provinces of Germania Superior and Gallia that prove that the cult of the sun god (Sol invictus) had a large flock of devotees even in the dark swamps and forests of Germany. ( Or precisely for that reason). 

The places of Mithras worship ( "Mithraeum") in South-West Germany include a couple of caves, subterranean locations were a typical site where the rites of the cult were performed.
The victory of Christianity after Constantine's conversion soon put an end to the Mithras cult, by the end of the 5th century it had completely disappeared from Central Europe.

Mithras reliefs, and other cult objects found in Germany

Edited by Komnenos - 10-Aug-2006 at 06:52