Mitra in the Twilight
The Play of Light and Shadow in the perforated altars
Abstract
Objects with pierced holes for illumination are not an uncommon phenomenon in the Mithraic cult. The existence of this system of contrasts has already been noted in historiography, and there have been some attempts to collect various objects that would have been used to produce such lighting effects. Beyond the collection of such pieces or their anecdotal mention, it is interesting to examine the role they play in the arrangement of the mithraeum and to offer a systematic explanation that seeks to understand the function of the applied techniques. From the striking hollow altar at the Inveresk mithraeum in Scotland to the altar at Bingen or the twin altars at Mundelsheim in Germany, it is possible to trace the existence of certain ritual objects with perforations and artificial openings that were used to create a specific lighting effect in the Mithraic worship space. In this article we will therefore analyse the pierced reliefs and the altars themselves to identify specific ritual types, which focused on particular gods within the visual apparatus of the Mithraic sacred space.
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