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The end of Mithraism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Oliver Nicholson
Oliver Nicholson*
Affiliation:
Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies, University of Minnesota, 330 Folwell Hall, 9 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455, USA
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Extract

Mithraism, the Roman cult to the Persian mystery god Mithras, had a special following in the army–and a matchingly broad distribution across the Empire. The singularly uniform class of Mithraic temples came to an end in several ways, by abandonment, burning, deliberate destruction, even by planned and careful sealing. Comparison of these circumstances can shed light on the different ways in which pagan worship came to cease.

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Antiquity , Volume 69 , Issue 263 , June 1995 , pp. 358 - 362
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Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1995

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