Mithraism

This paper is about discussing the spiritual interpretation of a direct Initiatic Visionary Experience as a gift from God as outline esoterically by the scribes that penned the Judaeo Christian Scriptures. The most mystical aspects of the sacred scriptures is that the scribes of antiquity wrote the texts in the precise selfsame manner in which they divine the WORD OF GOD via the MATRIX OF WISDOM; thus, the texts of the sacred scriptures are written as if the reader already knows how to intrinsically read the texts esoterically.  This paper will do all it can to illustrate this latter concept concerning the reader inherent ability to read the sacred scriptures esoterically.
This paper is a very deep mystical, esoteric and astrological analysis and commentary on the first four chapters of Genesis that illustrates demonstrably what takes place spiritually and psychically during the Spiritual Initiatic Experience: i.e. the Soul’s Spiritual Initiation Rite (a direct vision from God: i.e. spiritual powers - ambiance of creation). What the worthy initiate actually experiences in that nanosecond of time during the Initiatic Visionary Experience is symbolized and encapsulated in the first letter of Genesis: BETH cannot be explicitly expressed in the vernacular; nevertheless, the ancient scribes of the Judaeo Christian Scriptures divinely mythologized that mystical spiritual Initiatic Visionary Experience throughout the mythoi of the first four chapters of Genesis. 
Throughout this paper I will use the mythoi of the Eleusinian mysteries and the Sun Signs of Astrology via the Greek/Roman classical myths along the zodiacal signs place throughout the first four chapters of Genesis to unfold in the secular vernacular this mystically documented description of the INITIATIC VISIONARY EXPERIENCE.

This research-master thesis deals with the social implication of the Mithras cult in Rome’s port-city of Ostia. The high density of sanctuaries to this cult within this architecturally well preserved site provides an excellent dataset to look at this aspect of the cult which has received relatively little scholarly attention. A methodology was created based on the concepts of Lived Religion and Spatiality. From here the dataset of 17 sanctuaries was analysed on three distinct scales. Firstly, the so-called mithraea were analysed individually and compared to each other in terms of (ritual) use and decoration. Then each mithraeum was looked at within the scope of their immediate urban surroundings, after which it was determined whether there were common trends observable in spatial engagement amongst the different Mithraic contexts or not. Lastly the chronological and spatial development of the cult through the city was analysed, as well as the relation of these sanctuaries to the urban street network. This research yielded the following results. In terms ritual use, decorations as well as spatial engagement within the mithraea and their surroundings a lot of commonalities are observed, yet also significant variations. It seems certain that these small religious communities transmitted thoughts and ideas to each other and hence influenced these decisions. The cult played an important role in the daily lives of a relatively small group of men, belonging to the mostly lower classes of society. These small religious groups formed a new social nucleus that partially replaced older social structures now that these were fading due to urbanism. The notions of ‘self’ and ‘us’ was built and reinforced through initiation and exclusiveness, an obscurity attached to the sanctuaries and creation of a very distinct (ritual) identity. This identity was reinforced through the unique (ritual) functioning of these places and their appearance

This very article is dedicated to Pagan Armenian temple of Garni, one of the most unique and exceptional surviving masterpieces of ancient Hellenistic architecture that was dedicated to Armenian Sun god Mihr and Hellenistic Sun god Mithra. Article extensively covers the history of the monument since prehistory, Urartian period through times of Paganism in Armenia, as well as painstakingly presents all related aspects of Mithraism in ancient Armenia, Asia Minor, Rome and elsewhere in the ancient world. Many remarkable historical events are brought to readers' attention, as well as numerous ingenious artifacts and examples of various artistic forms of Armenian Mithraic worship are shown in greater details. Article is quite informative in terms of unfolding the most interesting history of Garni as the unique monument complex of ancient Armenia, comprising from mighty fortress, royal summer residence palaces, baths decorated with rich mosaics and pagan temple of the Sun dedicated to god Mihr/Mithra. Photographic examples of writings in Urartian cuneiform, Greek and Armenian languages found in Garni and its immediate vicinities also shown to readers. Article is aimed to be as informative and useful as possible, with immediate scientific task of uncovering many interesting and intriguing aspects of ancient world’s Hellenistic Pagan Architecture and Mithraic Pagan Religion in ancient Armenia and many other parts of ancient world.

Lo que pretendemos con el presente libro es ofrecer una herramienta que permita acceder de forma completa y ordenada al conjunto significativo de fuentes escritas relacionadas con los misterios mitraicos desarrollados en el imperio romano. Han quedado, por tanto, excluidos el volumen de textos conservados que hacen referencia al dios Mitra en su contexto oriental (himnos
védicos y avésticos, etc.) Junto con esta recopilación que alcanza el número de treinta y seis autores, también ofrecemos un estudio sobre la evolución de la historiografía mitraica, además de una breve síntesis sobre las características generales de los misterios mitraicos y una recopilación de bibliografía mitraica. Esperamos haber puesto a disposición de todos aquellos interesados en el estudio y conocimiento del culto del dios Mitra en la Antigüedad un
instrumento útil para acceder el estado de los conocimientos disponibles en la actualidad sobre el mitraísmo, y poder consultar de forma conjunta a las fuentes escritas relacionadas con el dios Mitra.

The Red Apple Tree: the Tree of Life
Analysis and interpretation of Greek and Turkish legends relating to the Holy Tree and its Eschatological, Messianic Role and Importance (in Greek)
First published on 27th January 2018 here: https://profmegalommatistextsingreek.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/η-κόκκινη-μηλιά-δέντρο-μυστικό-του-παρ/

Zoroaster set up the foundation of dualism  of Iranian wisdom. There are goodness and »Ahura« (God) at one end of this extreme and evil and Ahriman (Satan) at the other. Based on hierarchical structure of the galaxy (celestial) and heaven, we see »Amshaspends« ( Angels) at the top goodness end of this opposition  we see terrestrial order and social agreement at the evil end. The markers of this opposition are soul VS body, light VS darkness, cow VS lion, snake VS eagle and happiness VS ethical restrictions. This article aims at finding rules hidden in Zoroaster's political theology and its binary opposition, its signs and the way that the goodness and positive signs found meaning against "the others" or the evil in Iranian wisdom set. Further, it wants to find the political and historical roots of this ideology and its relation with the action and the reaction of two ethnic groups of Fars and Kurd, that is, through the discovery of the negative and evil side of Zoroastrianism, "the other" or anti-Iranian of Iranian political wisdom is revealed. He abstracted ethnic/political struggle into a totemic one. As inferred from the philosophy of Nietzsche and Hegel, Zoroaster is the forerunner of the God of »Apollonian« and history, »the other« of Zoroastrianism is also »the other« of history and metaphysics .

The article summarizes and evaluates Mithraic evidence from Ancient Syria. At the same time, it tries to answer two interrelated questions: 1) whether there is a special “quality” in Mithraic material from  Syria which would justify us to postulate the existence of a special variety of Syrian Mithraism different from  its  Western  form;  2)  whether  some  of  the  Mithraic  monuments  from  Syria  can  help  us  to  clarify the vexed problem of Mithraic origins. After a careful analysis of the most important evidence answers to  both questions must remain negative. Although the Syrian monuments clearly share some “Syrian artistic conventions”, they generally follow the norms and motifs known from the western provinces of the Roman  Empire.  The  Syrian  monuments  are  also  usually  relatively  late,  connected  with  the  Roman  military  or administrative presence and do not contribute to our search for Mithraic origins in any decisive way.

The importance of Mithra in Iranian religiosity is well known. The goddess Anahita is related to the path of the goddess-mothers characteristics of the Middle East. The importance of this goddess in this period should be taken into detailed consideration, because Anahita is firmly present in the Avesta. This Goddess received a popular support, especially in the western region of Iran. This could explain her role within the Zoroastrian religion, adopting new forms of worship, such as an anthropomorphic representation, and its connection to royalty.

As the deity associated with the sun’s glow or sun light, opposed to that of the astral body, Miϑra is the god of the liminal time, viz. the points of contact between day and night (that is, sunrise and sunset) and metonymically between summer and winter (that is, the equinoxes). Besides the well-known transformation of the Avestan liturgical calendar caused by the adoption of the Egyptian solar calendar, scholars have in recent years drawn attention to a further transformation in the liturgical calendar (for the first time H. Humbach in 2010): the expansion of the ritual divisions of the day from three to five. Later, J. Kellens pointed out the important role of Miϑra in introducing the division of the day starting with sunrise. In this paper, I will argue that Miϑra is not only associated with sunrise, but also with sunset, introducing Miϑra as the protagonist in the process that eventually led to the transformation of the ritual parts of the day. Moreover, I will show that the adoption of the solar calendar caused the transformation. Both processes are linked through a series of analogies between the day and the year around the axis defined by Miϑra: sunrise and sunset on the one hand and the two equinoxes on the other. I will also discuss Miϑra’s connection with both equinoxes. The autumn equinox is celebrated at the festival of Mihragān and corresponds to the Avestan festival paitiš.hahaiia-. With the vernal equinox begins the new ritual year with a series of celebrations that extend over the first week of the year. These celebrations are dedicated to the Aməṣ̌a Spəṇta, and in them the liturgical season of each asńiia- ratu- is introduced at a different day, thus connecting parts of the day with the conception of the year and even hemeronyms of the first week. In this context, I will also show that the standard Yasna, the Yasna with the dedicatory of Nōg Nāwar, in which Miϑra takes a prominent position, is originally the Yasna for the celebration of the opening of the new ritual year at the first sunrise after the vernal equinox. Other important actors of the reform are the Waters and the Frauuaṣ̌is in whose honour the other great seasonal festivals are celebrated and to which the longest Yašts are dedicated. Most likely, the reform of the liturgical calendar took place in Western Iran in Achaemenid times, perhaps concurrently with other significant changes such as the introduction of a permanent fire and the creation of a supra-national authority.

This project examines how the layout and orientation of cult sanctuaries (Mithraea) dedicated to the mysteries of the Roman god Mithras reflect the perceptions of the sky of the participants, in the context of archaeoastronomy. Archaeoastronomy is defined as "the study of beliefs and practices concerning the sky in the past, and especially in prehistory, and the uses to which peoples' knowledge of the skies were put"1.  Consideration is given to a definition of the mysteries of Mithras. The history of the Mithras cult is outlined, and the significance of Porphyry's De Antro Nympharum is considered in the light of recent scholarship, focusing on contemporary beliefs concerning the significance of directions.2  Four Mithraea sites are examined, two in Carnuntum, Austria and two in situ in Ptuj, Slovenia. Finally, some conclusions are drawn about the location and orientation of these sites

The definition and origins of Roman Mithraism remain highly problematic and controversial among modern scholars. The majority of research on Roman Mithraism focuses on interpreting the physical evidence because no considerable written narratives or theology from the religion survive. The most important Mithraic arti-fact is a repeated bull-slaying scene, which leaves no doubt that this figure conveys the core divine message of the cult. There is also another important Mithraic character that seems to be as important as the bull-slayer. This figure is a lion-headed man entwined by a snake. The author suggests that these figures represent the north ecliptic pole and argues for the importance of this astronomical reference in the Mithraic iconography and mythology. The author also demonstrates the possible relation of his proposed astrological model to the geocentric understanding of the axial precession around the ecliptic pole, where the Roman bull-slaying Mithras could be visualized in the form of a Mithraic constellation. This astrological model also is proposed to be the architectural design concept of Roman Mithraeum. The author also points to the core Christian symbols as possible contemporaneous parallels or derivatives of the Mithraic iconography and theology.

I argue here that the epic (5 volumes in print) of Samak, which was composed during the Parthian period and finally written down in archaic New Persian sometime in the Seljuqid  period, is not only a Mithraic epic story, but also and quite possibly the Holy Grail of specialists in Roman Mithraism.  The epic, I argue, replicates the ethics and praxis of Mithraic brotherhoods, brotherhoods whose members in the  Iranian context are called `ayyars.  Parvaneh Pourshariati

This article places Roger  Beck’s book The Religion of  the Mithras Cult in the Roman Empire (Oxford 2006) into a larger context of  various trends recognizable in the  Mithraic scholarship especially since 1970’s of  the 20th century. The article also  raises theoretical and methodological questions concerning  Beck’s “gateway text  theory” originating from his choice of  porphyry as the only Graeco-Roman source  giving unambiguous information about the cult’s ideology and religious rationale.  The final part of  the article draws attention to more specific problems concerning  the search for external confirmation of  information provided by  porphyry in our archaeological and epigraphical material.

The irruption of the god Mithras in history is related to the presence of the Indo-Aryan population seated between the Hurrians of Mitanni and their inclusion in a peace treaty between this kingdom and the Hittite empire in the mid-fourteenth century B.C. His presence in this treaty foreshadows the characteristics that are at the origin of the role played by this divinity both in the Vedic pantheon and later in the Iranian-zoroastrian. Mithra appears with a group of deities that defi ne the relevant pantheon of the Vedic religion and its relationship with Varuna establishing a couple will also have its correlation with Asura in the Iranian sphere. The importance of this text has been relevant to determine not only the route but also the first configuration of these Indo-Iranian populations that are present in the area of Upper Mesopotamia in parallel to their introduction in the Indus Valley.
Our deal is to advance in the analysis of the information offered by this treaty. We try to understand the context in which the first public appearance of Mithra happened, to answer more clearly two questions: which were these first individuals who give prominence to this divinity and for what purpose they did it. Knowing the characteristics of this early document becomes an essential element to establish the starting point of any Mithraic study.

Il progetto che viene presentato all'interno di questa Tesi di Specializzazione costituisce un ulteriore passo in avanti nella ricerca affrontata nel corso della mia carriera universitaria nel campo della comunicazione dei Beni archeologici attraverso l'uso delle Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
Obiettivo del progetto è quello di realizzare due guide multimediali, una dedicata ad un generico pubblico adulto e un'altra rivolta ad un'utenza in età scolare, attraverso l'utilizzo di izi.TRAVEL, una piattaforma web lanciata nel 2013 che permette di creare e condividere audioguide e audiotours senza che però l'ideatore possegga conoscenze specifiche di programmazione informatica.
Tuttavia il presente lavoro non ha solamente questo precipuo intento: attraverso questa trattazione s'intende far comprendere al lettore come l'utilizzo di un modello comunicativo differente rispetto a quello solitamente utilizzato dalle istituzioni culturali non comprometta la ricezione del messaggio culturale che il Bene culturale sottende, ma anzi aumenti la possibilità che lo stesso venga trasmesso e compreso dall'utente.

Rubens' Descent from the Cross (1612) contains a number of elements that are derived from an esoteric reading of the gospel of John. This gospel describes a twofold initiation of the 'Disciple whom Jesus loved' and a corresponding double initiation of Mary Magdalene, on the day of the Ressurection and in connection with the burial shroud of Christ (Shroud of Turin). These initiations are represented on Rubens' Descent from the Cross. The two characters in the upper part of the painting are identified as James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

The article presents the development undergone by the
conservation profession in the Slovene lands during the
second half of the nineteenth century, with an emphasis on
the treatment of archaeological heritage. The life of society
in that period was greatly influenced by the growing political
power of the liberal bourgeoisie and the decline of its
influence in the face of rising nationalism towards the end
of the century. The dynamics of these developments were
also reflected in conservation, where towards the end of the
century we can identify a tendency towards criticism of the
historicist culture and values of the bourgeoisie. Changes in
the emphasis of conservation also had a strong influence on
the understanding of archaeological heritage, which resulted
in, among other things, the first presentation of Roman-era
architectural remains in the Austrian crown lands – the
presentation of the First Mithraeum of Mithras, discovered
in 1899 in Spodnja Hajdina near Ptuj. The presentation of the
First Mithraeum was followed in 1913 by the discovery and
presentation of another temple of Mithras – the Third Mithraeum
at Breg near Ptuj. The presentation of these two temples
represents a milestone in the understanding of the value
of archaeological remains within the conservation profession
in central Europe, and of their presentation in situ.

From Origen and John Cassian to the Anti-Christian Rome and the Jesuits (with pictures and legends)
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Αιγύπτιοι Μεμφιτιστές, Ιρανοί Μιθραϊστές & Ιησουΐτες: από τον Ιησού στον του Κόσμου Άρχοντα & από τον Ωριγένη στον Ιωάννη Κασσιανό - Ωριγενισμός, Αναχωρητισμός, Μανιχεϊσμός, Ρώμη & Νέα Ρώμη
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Egyptian Memphists, Iranian Mithraists & Jesuits: from Jesus to the prince of this world & from Origen to John Cassian - Origenism, Monasticism, Manichaeism, Rome & New Rome
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Περιεχόμενα
Πρόλογος
I. Οι Ιησουΐτες: Ιστορικοί Δακτύλιοι της Αλυσίδας τους
II. Θρησκεία, Πίστη, και Καλό-Κακό
III. Περιεχόμενο ή Ουσία: Μόνο Κριτήριο Αξιολόγησης
IV. Patrologia Graeca: ο Σωστός Τρόπος Πρόσβασης σε Πατερικά Κείμενα
V. Αν αγνοείς τον Jacques Paul Migne, είσαι 'Χριστιανός' ενός άλλου Σύμπαντος!!!
VI. Patrologia Graeca: Μισητή στους Ιησουΐτες
VII. Patrologia Graeca: Άγνωστη στους Ψευτο-Χριστιανούς της Ψευτο-Ελλάδας
VIII. Ψυχικό Σύμπαν, Αλήθεια, Πίστη, Ιερατεία, Θρησκεία και Πονηρά Πνευματικότητα
IX. Θεόσταλτα Άτομα, Προφήτες, Πνευματικότητα, Ηθική, Θρησκεία και Ιερατεία
X. Θρησκεία και Θεολογία
XI. Ιερατεία, Πνευματικότητα, Θρησκεία, και Εξουσία
XII. Ιερατεία, Πνευματικότητα, Θρησκεία, Θεολογία, Θεωρίες, Ιδέες και Αφηγήματα
XIII. Ιερατεία, Γνωστικοί, Ιουδαϊσμός, Σιωνισμός (Ιουδαϊκός Εσωτερισμός) και Αραμαίοι
XIV. Ιερατεία, Πρώιμοι 'Χριστιανοί', Ιησούς, και ο του Κόσμου Άρχων - Δράκων
XV. Ιερατεία, Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας, Αναχωρητισμός, Ωριγενισμός, Μανιχεϊσμός, Ρωμαϊκός Χριστιανισμός, και Χριστιανωσύνη
XVI. Από τον Ωριγένη στον Ιωάννη Κασσιανό
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First published on 1st January 2022 here:
https://megalommatis.blogspot.com/2022/01/blog-post.html

Чередниченко А.Г., Шенцов М.Е. Проблема генезиса "иранского митраизма" [Andrei G. Cherednichenko, Maxim E. Shentsov. Problem of genesis of the "Iranian Mithraism"] // Научные ведомости Белгородского государственного университета. - Вып. 12: История. Политология. Экономика. Информатика. - 2009. - № 15 (70). - С. 11 - 15.

This paper proceeds from the assumption that a more nuanced understanding of amicitia can be achieved from the investigation of certain physical environments where social interaction occurred. In particular, it argues that the development of mithraea in residential contexts in Rome and Ostia in the 2nd century CE and the choice of a biclinium as the main locus for worship are manifestations of a larger contemporary phenomenon, in which convivia became a significant social activity within the domus. It further argues that the increasing popularity of the Mithraic cult in urban areas can be explained by the social opportunities connected to the choice of a biclinium for worship, specifically that a common meal taken in a cult context offered an opportunity for expression of status (both social and religious), for small-scale patronage, and for the cultivation of amicitia through the establishment and development of a social network. The discussion has three parts. The first reviews the history of banqueting in a cult context and the tradition of worship of within the Roman home or other private and exclusive contexts, while the second explores the social implications and possible benefits of a cult meal. The third part examines the evidence for social networks in the cults of Mithras and Jupiter Dolichenus, where a cult meal was a central feature of religious observance. Inscriptions from joint dedications and membership lists from mithraea in Rome and Sentinum and from the temple of Jupiter Dolichenus in Rome attest the long-term commitment of cult devotees, not just to the god, but also to each other.

Tepe Nush-i Jan is amongst the rare major sites attributed to the Median period. The most important result of the recent excavation at the site by the present author in 2009 was the fact that the Median brick structures unearthed at Tepe Nush-i Jan originally represented a Mithraeum. The central temple of Nush-i Jan has a ground plan in the form of a cross divided by a wall into two sections. Cross motif is also seen as architectural ornament on an interior wall and on the exterior façade of the Central temple (semi-cross). The fact that the cross motif assumed a central place in the Mithraic iconography cannot be overemphasized.

Ritual movement is at the core of religious performance and communication in Antiquity (and beyond). This conference aims to give new perspectives and insights on the relation between religion and movement. For registration and for any information please write to colloquium organiser Giorgio Ferri: giorgio.ferri@uniroma1.it

The Book of Zerubbabel, an apocalypse likely composed in the seventh-century against the political backdrop of the battle over Jerusalem between the Sasanian and Byzantine Empires, represents a distinctive combination of eschatological and soteriological speculation in the history of Jewish thought. While the work is clearly dependent on biblical and postbiblical Jewish antecedents, scholars have noted its unique engagement with Byzantine Christian culture—whether by way of appropriation or polemic—especially in terms of the affinity between Christ and the suffering Davidic Messiah, Menaḥem b. ʿAmiʾel, and his slain-resurrected eschatological counterpart; the reflection of Virgin Mary in the warrior figure of Ḥephṣibah, the mother of the Messiah, and the representation of ʾArmilos in the image and likeness of the Antichrist.
Supplementing the lens provided by Byzantine Christian culture, I argue that the figure of ʾArmilos, who is said to have emerged from a sexual encounter between Beliʿal and a rock in the shape of a beautiful virgin, has not been sufficiently informed by recourse to byzantine imagery of the Virgin. I posit that the story can be illuminated through gnostic, particularly Sethian and Manichaean, traditions concerning the archons’ seduction/rape of a beautiful virgin and the diabolic offspring which issued from this union. I further submit that the gnostic myth was combined with visual and literary reports of Mithras’ emergence from a rock and his sexual union with a rock. The Mithraic evidence was presumably integrated by the authors of the Book of Zerubbabel into a gnostic framework of the diabolic seduction/rape of a virgin, since Iranian Mithra plays a prominent role in certain eastern versions of the gnostic myth—via the Iranian Manichaean identification of Mithra with the Third Messenger (the feminine aspect of which is no other than the Virgin of Light). Roman Mithras, moreover, was portrayed by certain patristic accounts as a diabolic counterpart of Christ (in an attempt to subvert the association of the two figures), a fact which might explain the presence of Mithras in a story of the Antichrist’s birth. The integration of gnostic and Mithraic traditions thus gave rise to an unprecedented story about ʾArmilos’ rock-birth from Beliʿal’s sexual union with a rock shaped as a beautiful virgin.

Pragmatic cognitive science, rooted in Dewey's epistemology and models of distributed cognition, offers new hypotheses for the emergence and decline of the Mithraic rites. These models foreground the responsiveness of the rites to their economic and social environment, generating new form-meaning pairs through multimodal engagements inside the Mithraic caves. These moments of cognitive blending answered the needs of the early social catchment of the rites, which was predominantly freedmen and soldiers benefitting from the upward mobility of the thriving second century CE. Within the caves, multimodal engagements with the triumph of light over dark-physical movement, imagery, gesture, role playing, and interaction with cult equipment-aligned the experience of the initiate with Mithras' cosmological triumph. The caves are also a confluence of mechanisms for social mobility that were broadly familiar in the imperial period, including patronage, symposia, engagement with exotic cultural forms and philosophical speculation. The decline of the rites was coincident with the dissolution of the economic opportunities that enabled the rise of the Roman middle class and of the social currency of these practices. The language of euergetism yielded to the language of service to the poor, and the cosmological imagery that characterized the caves shifted into the restricted spheres of exchange among competing princes. This model of the rites suggests dynamics with Christianity focused less on theology than on responsiveness to the economic and social transformations of the fourth and fifth centuries CE.

This dissertation presents a methodological approach for the interrogation of excavated assemblages from archaeological sites, as a means of providing insights into consumer choices and practices in different cultural contexts. The thesis examined the archaeological finds, site formation processes and especially the structured intentional way finds and other archaeological remains were lain down by the people of the Roman Small Town at Tienen in eastern Belgium. Particular emphasis is placed on the comparison of archaeological remains from domestic, cemetery and ritual/ceremonial contexts. These contexts, indeed, show distinct patterns of difference and similarity and clearly demonstrate that these three cultural domains were defined by their own socio-cultural rules and practices. Furthermore the research provides an illuminating focus on how the composition of the burial, domestic and ritual assemblage underwent gradual but consistent changes throughout the Roman period as a result of changing external circumstances, ideas and values and the gradual change of the culture of the vicus community.
Bronze, iron and glass assemblages, in addition to pottery, have clearly also been used within these different cultural contexts throughout the Roman period adding to the insight into practices that could be gained from the study. In funerary and ritual contexts this consumption is less straightforward, because next to the meals for the living, also more symbolical sacrifices and meals for the dead and/or for the gods are provided for. Only a few examples of these specific choices of ‘symbolical consumption’ are the preference for younger animals; for specific species like horse and dog, the use of different parts of the animal; a distinctive trend for some novelties (new forms) in pottery and a clear preference for the use of new or hardly used vessels, the use of valuable glass and bronze objects and the appearance of specific types and sizes of nails.

In 2014, during the archaeological investigations carried out by the University of Bologna (Department of History and Cultures-Section of Archaeology), within the Ostia Marina Project, in the suburban neighborhood out of Porta Marina (block IV, ix), a new building has been found with outstanding Mithraic features. The building, for the special type of the marble floor of the spelaeum, has been conventionally called the "Mithraeum of colored marbles". The spelaeum has a single bench, a ritual well and a flowerbed for a sacred plant. It differs clearly both in form and size from the typical patterns of the mithraea discovered until now in ancient Ostia. On the basis of the currently available data, a very late chronology (end of 4th century AD) can be proposed for the building.