"Maybe Mithras" material from newspapers, eBay, etc.

Ancient material is often attributed to Mithras without adequate reason. Any Roman discovery of a temple may well be attributed by someone to Mithras. Any item of a chap in a phrygian cap tends to be supposed to be Mithras, even if these chaps may well be Attis, or one of the priests of Cybele, the Galli. As the "Magna Mater", Cybele was a state cult, so in principle one would expect these to be common.

So what to do with reports of ancient items and locations where, clearly, there is no certainty?

For now I have decided to place them here. I will try and copy text from the source site, since this may well vanish from the web. If anyone is the copyright holder and objects, by all means contact me or leave a note in the comments at the bottom.

Comments and contributions are welcome.


Very Rare Roman Mithras Tauroctony Fragment c. 2nd - 3rd Century AD - 26th August 2014.
eBay.

"Seller: wear-the-past. Colour: marble. Item location: Salisbury, United Kingdom. Price: GBP 2,900.00.

"On offer is this exceptionally rare marble fragment from a Roman Mithraic Tauroctony, from the 2nd - 3rd century AD. This section has most of the main design, including Mithra's legs, the Bull, the Snake, Dog's head and scorpion. This rare piece of ancient Mithraic art is complete with the original burial encrustations from a cave that have not been cleaned. This is a 100% genuine and very ancient object, last seen after being smashed by Christains during the 4th Century AD....

"DATE: 2nd - 3rd century AD
MATERIAL: Marble
SIZE: 158mm x 126mm x 22mm
WEIGHT: 638.3g
PROVENANCE: Old German Collection, purchased in the London Art Market."

Roman Marble Head of Mithras - 1st July 2014.
Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, NY. An ancient Roman marble head of the god Mithras wearing a Phrygian cap and gazing upward.

Ca. 3rd - 4th century AD.
Height: 4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm).
Inv#: 5821
$3,500

Formerly in the collection of B. Degenhart, Germany, acquired in the 1930's; Massachusetts private collection.

Roman Britain. Bronze head of Mithras. - 14th April 2-14. ebay. ROMANO-BRITISH. BRONZE MITHRAS HEAD LOCK MOUNT. 2nd century A.D. Found in Yorkshire. 30mm long. 21mm wide. Good metal. Nice style. Scarce.

Advertiser ancient17 from Essex.

Small head of Mithras (?) found by metal detector in Norfolk - 5th April 2014. Ebay: Stunning Roman bronze mount depicting Mithras in a phrygian cap. British Find!!! This gorgeous bronze mount depicting the Roman god Mithras dates to the first or second century AD and was found by a metal detectorist in Norfolk. The item displays a wonderful patina and excellent details. Mithras was a god associated with a mysterious and secret cult from the middle east, particularly popular with soldiers who probably brought the cult to Britain, The beliefs of the cult of Mithras are still shrouded in mystery as there are no relevant surviving texts. There are however, surviving monuments such as the Mithraeum in London, and artifacts like this one. This is a rare chance to own a gorgeous artifact connected with the cult of Mithras. Guaranteed genuine, bid with confidence. Dimensions: 31 mm x 28 mm. Weight: 18.4 g.

Advertiser felicitas.perpetua from Norwich.

Private communication from seller: "This bronze Roman head was found near Ely by a metal detectorist in the 80's, unfortunately I don't know any more than that." It is not clear what, exactly, the item is: a furniture fitting?

Head with phrygian cap. - 16 Jan 2014. Ebay: Rare Ancient Votive Deity Mithra Lapis Lazuli Iran Persia face head bead pendant Sold for $950. Rare Ancient Votive face head Deity Mithra Mithras Lapis Lazuli pendant Iran Persia c.1000 BC. Length: just over 2 cm (Mounted height: 4.5 cm). Carved out of natural Lapis Lazuli. Of exceptional quality, in excellent condition, this ultra rare artifact exudes a tremendous aura. Over 3000 years old. Unconditionally guaranteed authentic. From a private French collection.

The site of the dig at Llwydfaen Farm where the Roman temple was found.

Mithraeum at Caerhun / Kanovium, near Conway in North Wales? - 15 Aug 2013. BBC: Roman temple clues found during dig in Conwy Valley:

The remains of what is suspected to be a Roman temple have uncovered by archaeologists who had been searching for a lost 11th Century church. Archaeologists had been trying to find a Norman church on farmland in the Conwy Valley after baked remains became apparent during the hot summer of 2006. But as the dig got under way the team realised there was a much older building on the site. Researchers are trying to establish if it was a temple used by Roman soldiers. The dig, which was being filmed for a Welsh-language television series, had been to try and uncover the remains of a church but instead artefacts dating back to Roman times were unearthed. "There had been questions before the dig began because a church would be orientated east west where as this building was north south and as soon as we started to dig all we found were Roman artefacts," said Dr Iestyn Jones, presenter and archaeologist on the programme. The finds were recovered from two trenches are thought to date back to the 2nd and 4th Centuries, said Dr Jones. He said more work was needed to determine if the site was a mithraeum - a temple used by Roman soldiers. "One was found in Caernarfon in the 1960s but that was dug out and houses built on it, so whilst this find is not unique it is very unusual," he said. "It was thrilling really and we had experienced archaeologists with us who take part in digs all around the country and they were delighted too." Morgan Hopkins, a series producer and director with Trisgell Television Company, said: "I was quite certain that we would discover a Norman church in Llwydfaen but it became obvious as we were digging, and from the discoveries, that this was a Roman building. "We discovered six bronze Roman coins, countless pieces of slate and Roman nails as well as pieces of Roman pottery. The S4C series is due to be broadcast in 2014.

Bronze head with Phrygian cap - Timeline auctions, Feb 6 2014.

3rd-4th century AD. A cast bronze mount of the head of Mithras with coils of hair under a Phrygian cap; hollow to the reverse with round-section peg; mounted on a custom-made stand. Found Cambridgeshire, UK, in 2009. 51 grams, 49 mm including stand (2").

Roman silver votive plaque - British Museum, Item 1899,1201.3, Apr 8 2019.

Dated to 2nd-3rd centuries AD, believed to be from the ancient city of Pessinus in Turkey (near the modern village of Ballıhisar). Labelled as "Votive silver plaque with a figure of the god Mithras", but nothing obviously Mithraic about it, and Pessinus is the home city of Attis. Height: 26 centimetres. On display: G69/dc12. Acquired 1899 with Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks collection. Catalogue: "Walters, H B, Catalogue of the Silver Plate (Greek, Etruscan And Roman) in the British Museum, London, BMP, 1921".


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