The cult of Mithras in late antiquity : : development, decline, and demise circa A.D. 270-430 / / by David Walsh.

• VerfasserIn: Walsh, David (Archaeologist),
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2018.
• Year of Publication: 2018
• Language: English
• Series: Late Antique Archaeology (Supplementary Series) 2.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (158 pages).

In The Cult of Mithras in Late Antiquity David Walsh explores how the cult of Mithras developed across the Third and 4th centuries A.D. and why by the early 5th century the cult had completely disappeared. Contrary to the traditional narrative that the cult was violently persecuted out of existence by Christians, Walsh demonstrates that the cult’s decline was a far more gradual process that resulted from a variety of factors. He also challenges the popular image of the cult as a monolithic entity, highlighting how by the 4th century Mithras had come to mean different things to different people in different places.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Copyright page -- Foreword -- Illustrations -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- The Development of the Cult of Mithras in Late Antiquity -- The Decline of the Cult I: The Evidence -- The Decline of the Cult II: Explaining the Decline -- The Fate of Mithraea -- Conclusion -- Gazetteer of Mithraea Active in the 4th c. and Those That Exhibit Evidence of Christian Iconoclasm -- Mithraea Constructed and Repaired circa AD 201–400 -- Late Antique Archaeology -- Back Matter -- Bibliography -- Index.