Conversations about Mithras

In this brand new season and episode, Caroline and I speak about her 2019 book The Time Travel Diaries. In which a London schoolboy goes back to Roman London and encounters the ancient religion of Mithras. We also discuss how children have interacted with the story and their thoughts on Mithras. To read more about Caroline's work then please visit her website: https://carolinelawrence.com/.

Today Fraser and I will be discussing the Mithraeum at Inveresk and how important this archaeological find was and still is to Roman Scotland. He tells us all about the altars that were found during the excavations and the ongoing work to restore these beautiful altars.

You can read the full article on Mithras in Scotland: a Mithraeum at Inveresk (East Lothian) By Fraser Hunter, Martin Henig, Eberhard Sauer and John Gooder by following the link below:

https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/27445084/Sauer_etal_2016_B_Mithras_in_Scotland.pdf

You can find out more about the objects and finds in Roman Scotland through the National Museum of Scotland's official website by following the links below:

https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/the-romans-in-scotland/

https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/the-romans-in-scotland/sections-1/romans-in-scotland-highlight-objects/

Andrew and I chat about some of the Mithraic objects that are held in the Great North Museum in Newcastle, England, including the objects taken from some of the Mithraea at Hadrian's Wall. He provides information on how to travel around Hadrian's Wall and some other sites to visit if you are ever in Newcastle. Andrew also gives us an interesting insight into the research that is currently being done to show what the altars may have originally looked like in colour.

We mention some museums such as the Hunterian Museum, the National Museum of Scotland and the London Museum.

The links are below for these museums:

https://greatnorthmuseum.org.uk/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian/

https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/

https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/recreating-romans

Andreu Abuín and I talk about his website - The New Mithraeum website ‘Per Aspera ad Astra.  He tells u all about how this website began, the research he did to make it happen and how to use the website when you visit. 

Follow the link below to find out more!

https://www.mithraeum.eu/

Professor Eberhard Sauer discusses some of his published works relating to Mithras:

The Archaeology of Religious Hatred in the Roman and early medieval world (2003), ‘Disabling Demonic Images: Regional Diversity in Ancient Iconoclasts - Motives and Targets’ (2014), Coins, cult and cultural identity: Augustan coins, hot springs and the early Roman baths at Bourbonne-les-Bains (2015), and The End of Paganism in the North-Western Provinces of the Roman Empire: The example of the Mithras cult (1996).

You can find more information on his published works and academic history by following the link below:

https://www.ed.ac.uk/history-classics-archaeology/about-us/staff-profiles/profile_tab1_academic.php?uun=esauer

Nicolas and I discuss the new exhibition ‘The Mystery of Mithras: Exploring the heart of a Roman Cult at The Royal Museum of Mariemont in Belgium. Nicolas tells us about how he got involved in this project and what it means to the museum. He also discusses some of the artefacts that are on show and describes what the reactions have been from visitors to the museum.

Exhibition Website: http://www.musee-mariemont.be/index.php?id=18575

The Mithra Project: https://mithra-project.eu/exhibitions/

Revd. Professor Martin Henig will discuss his long history and experience in investigating Mithras with me. We speak about the finds at Inveresk, specifically its altars. We delve into the London Mithraeum, the eastern influence on Mithras and how art and sculpture influences’ people and their faith.  Martin also discusses how his ordainment contributes to how he sees religion and Mithras now.

In this episode, David tells us how he became interested in Mithras and why he decided to research Mithras for his PhD while focusing on the late third to early fifth centuries of Mithras. We also discuss his paper on ‘Reconsidering the Butt Road "Church," Colchester: Another Mithraeum’ and he gives his thoughts on the London Mithraeum.

In this episode, Professor Luther H. Martin joins us to speak about his book ‘The Mind of Mithraists’ which was published in 2015 and is a collection of his essays on Mithraism since 1989. Luther will also be telling us all about what first made him interested in the Classical world and of course Mithras. What first got him involved in researching Mithras and Cognitive Studies which is a relatively new method to investigating the ancient world.

Luther has now recently retired from his long and successful career and he gives an insight into what he now gets up to after living with Mithras for years.

Yolanda De Iuliis introduces the world of worshipping Mithras.