Norman J. Penny - pictish-mithraism.com

7 Mithraeum Outdoors – the “Open-Air” Mithraeum
The statues and symbols to be found in Mithraea are mentioned in Chapter 6. The assumption is
that they or their meanings need to be reflected into the hypothetical Open-Air Mithraeum – but in
a different context – outside rather than inside.
The first key difference, then, between the typical Mithraeum used in the cult of the Mysteries of
Mithras and the proposed “Open-Air Mithraeum” is that the former is constructed mainly
underground or makes use of a natural cave and the latter needs neither.
The second key difference is that the “indoor” Mithraeum has iconography on its internal surfaces
(floor, walls, ceiling) the Open-Air version does not; but it does need an alternative. Substitution of
what usually is seen in an indoor mithraeum is that alternative.
The third key difference is that the access to the indoor Mithraeum is secured by a door or other
barrier whilst an Open-Air one, from its name, is completely visible. Gaining understanding of what is
contained in, on or around the Open-Air mithraeum needs to be “hidden” somehow. Despite having
decided to concentrate on the Open-Air Mithraeum, the prospect of indoor ones in Pictland has not
been dismissed. On the contrary looking at what arguably is an indoor Mithraeum in Burghead,
Moray (the so-called Roman well) gives contrast to the outdoor variety.
The design, to include what can be seen in a typical indoor Mithraeum, can make use of physical
surfaces on which symbols can be affixed (the terrestrial component) and, as it is outside, the view
of everything “as far as the eye can see”. It is suggested that the latter may to an extent replace the
“sky” elements of an indoor Mithraeum (for example the components of the Zodiac).
To retain obscurity there is, arguably, a need to further encode or depict differently from the
equivalent indoor symbol (which usually is rendered physically inaccessible except to those who are
intended to see it). Most indoor symbols are recognisable but their context and application is not –
but they are not seen by all. The outdoor version can be seen by all hence the suggestion for some
more involved encryption. Physical privacy afforded by the indoor Mithraeum needs to be replaced
by obscuring the symbols in the terrestrial part of the outdoor version.
Construction Materials
Indoor symbols have the benefit of enclosure to protect them from the weather. Not so for Open-Air
ones. If the intent was to have durable monuments then the material they were placed on or made
from would need to be weather-resistant. This then rules out painting.
In selecting suitable surfaces, external attachment to buildings does not seem to be a first choice
when a prospective alternative may be to use the inside of the building which, presumably, has been
eliminated as space might be at a premium (other strictly practical needs may take precedence).
Attachment to buildings also reduces independence – there is a reliance on the longevity of the
structure and there is a restriction in terms of privacy.
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