Gresham College Lectures Mithras: Master of Mystery - Ronald Hutton
Jan 30, 2026
A lively tour of the secretive cult of Mithras, exploring its cave-like shrines, cosmic zodiacal imagery and mysterious bull-slaying myth. Discussion covers who joined — soldiers and lower-ranking men — and the tight initiation grades and rituals. The lecture traces the cult’s Roman origins, its spread across the empire, changing fortunes in late antiquity, and why it finally vanished.
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Mithraism's Secretive Appeal
- Mithraism was a secretive initiatory society with private rituals rather than a public religion.
- Ronald Hutton emphasizes its cinematic appeal in novels and Kipling's poem as cultural echoes of the cult.
Evidence Is Rich Yet Fragmentary
- The archaeological record for Mithraism is limited but consistent: shrines, inscriptions, images and a few texts.
- Hutton warns this evidence leaves huge gaps that invite speculation and disagreement.
An Exotic Origin Was Likely Fiction
- Mithraism likely originated in Italy, probably Rome, not Persia despite its eastern imagery.
- Hutton argues the cult crafted an exotic origin myth while developing locally in the Roman world.
