A New World Monument to Mithras - Old News documentary

located in Pontus and one in Cilicia, but none in Galacia or Bythinia (on page 23 I
reference a more recent publication locating a Mithraeum in Galatia). If there were
Mithraea in these kingdoms we have no way of knowing what they looked like or what
iconography they contained. The absence of such artifacts is not too surprising
considering that many peoples and religions have occupied the area. In addition there
are always those who remove and reuse stones for their own habitations or other
building projects. Based on evidence already found in the Old World, it is acceptable to
define a trend for coeval Mithraea, but it is impossible to describe what is still in the
ground or no longer exists.
W. Lentz (1975:4) stated it was his belief, “...that there were Mithraea serving as
observatories according to the gnomon principle.” And, “Archaeologists and historians
of astronomy will find here a field for detailed observation of the timing of light beams
that may corroborate or refute our interpretations.” I believe these three sites have just
such observatories.
As to why all Mithraea don’t look identical, Richard Gordon (1994:115) says, “Local
jargon and local symbolism are both what we should expect of a syncretic cult in the
Roman Empire without institutional controls upon the scope and character of
innovation.” The task of understanding the meaning and origin of the inscriptions of our
study area is made more difficult by the mix of Celtic religious and Mithraic elements.
Celts are known for their skill at burying meanings.
Hidden Meanings:
Graves (1966:374) provides a glimpse at the desire of the old sages to hide
meanings, “But we should not look for only one or only two meanings of the syllable ur;
the more numerous the poetic meanings that could be concentrated in a sacred name,
the greater was its power.” David Ulansey (1989:26, 54) demonstrates Mithraic icons
double as star maps, and Graves (1996:165-195) shows Ogam letters have multiple
meanings. By the beginning of the Auraicept na n-eces’ compilation, in mid first
millenium CE, scholars said that Ogam “...should belong to the learned apart, to the
exclusion of rustics and herdsmen.” (Calder 1917:273). Malville (1998:9) reporting on
sun involvement with worship in India says, “There are many levels of meaning of the
Surya puja, depending upon local traditions and the perspectives of priests, architects,
and participants.” Surya is the sun and puja is individual worship involving external
ritual.
The Celtic practice of hiding meanings in their imagery and texts should not be
confused with the practice of other cultures who create new gods with attendant
imagery and lore to explain an attribute of an existing god. The first is an act of
occultation and the second is an act of manifestation. We will explore these practices,
but by their nature they are difficult to measure and analyze.
Walking Among the Stars:
Mithraism is an astral religion with seven grades through which its members could
be promoted. All grades were subject to the holder of the highest grade known as
Pater. The six lower grades were collectively known as syndexios (Gordon 1994:109).
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