CIMRM 437-455 - Miscellaneous finds. Circus Maximus Mithraeum, Rome

Here is a list of the other monuments, finds and inscriptions from the Circus Maximus mithraeum.

CIMRM entry

437. Marble relief (H. 0.48 Br. 0.62 D. 0.12), found in the hindmost room. Pietrangeli, 26f = 166f No. 2 and Tav. II. See fig. 123. In a cave Mithras slaying the bull, whose tail ends in (three?) ears. The dog and the serpent with their heads near the wound; the scorpion at the testicles; the raven on the rocky cave-border. Mithras is looking at Sol whose bust has been represented in the l. upper Corner. Sol has a radiate crown. In the r. corner the bust of Luna with a crescent behind her shoulders. The torchbearers have not been represented. Traces of painting: Mithras' cap and cloak are red; the other garments have traces of blue; the open mouth of the bull is red; traces of red and gold on the heads of Sol and Mithras. 438. Fragment of a small, white marble relief (H. 0.11 Br. 0.13 D. 0.05). Now in Rome, Via Portico d'Ottavia 29. According to A. M. Colini who was so kind to draw our attention to it, it should have been found in this Mithraeum. The relief (original H. about 0.26) has a representation of Cautes in tunica manicata and long cloak. In the upraised r.h. a flaming torch. 439. Marble serpent's head with a small hole in the beginning of its neck. Certainly belonged to a group of Mithras as a bullkiller or to a rock-birth (L. 0.095). 440. CIMRM 440. Pietrangeli's photo. Marble pilaster broken in two (H. 1.015 Br. 0.14) with ridges in the four sides. At the top the head of Sol in a radiate crown (Pietrangeli, fig. 14). 441. Lower part of a statuette (H. 0.153 Br. 0.08) of Minerva, dressed in a long chiton. With her l.h. she is leaning on a shield. 442. Base of a Venus-statuette (H. 0.135 Br. 0.075); only the feet and on the right side a jug, upon which a cloth, have been preserved. Another broken base may have belonged to a Venus-statuette also. 443. Bust of a man in lorica and paludamentum. Head lost. 444. Further other small finds were made such as bones of animals, tusks of boars, pieces of marble, among which one with the outlines of a fish, bronze objects such as e.g. a bell with iron tongue, a coin of Vespasianus and another one of Maximianus, small pieces of glass, a tile with an inscription from the time of Domitianus and many terracotta objects. 445. A small lamp (diam. O.11) on which a flying Victoria has been represented, holding a crown in the r.h. and a palm-branch in the l.h. 446. Fragment of a large dolium, on which two small columns, supporting a facade. Between the columns a youth, who is playing the flute and holds a stick(?) in his l.h. 447. Fragments of a small lamp with the lower part of the bust of Luna in a crescent. 448. Small lamp with the representation of a ram. 449. CIMRM 449. Pietrangeli diagram. On a marble slab (ll. 0.33 Br. 0.45). L.H. 0.025. Pietrangeli, 29 No. 1. Soli invict[o Mithrae] / sacrarium [fecit] / P. Aelius Ur[banus or Urbicus] / sub A. Sergio Eutycho / sacerdote. [I.e.: To the invincible sun Mithras. P. Aelius Urbanus built the sacred area when A. Sergius Eutychus was priest. - RP] 450. On a marble slab with a pierced star in the centre. L.H. 0.025-0.03. Pietrangeli, 30, 2. Daeo(sic!) / invicto d(onum) d(edit) / L. Reminius / Fortunatus. 451. On fragments of a marble slab. L.H. 0.02. Pietrangeli, 30, 3. . . . ub sedente / Cossio / [A ]tiniano / patre. 452. On a fragment of a marble slab. L.H. 0.065-0.038. Pietrangeli, 30, 4. L. Mo .... / Magn[us] / dev[otus?]. 453. On two fragments of greyish marble. L. H. 0.175. Pietrangeli, 30, 5. [p]onti[fici maximo] / [trib. po]t. XX / [cura?]vit. Only Trajan or Hadrian were tribunes twenty times. 454. Graffito on the back-wall of room M. Pietrangeli, 30, 6. magicas / inbit... fa/ef .... egentio /.. .. nius. 455. On a small marble slab. Pietrangeli, 31, 7. ALLIM (cacus).

The Imago Romae site has the following interesting comment on the graffiti (CIMRM 454):

Sull'intonaco della parete a sinistra dell'arco si conserva un graffito disposto su cinque righe, la cui lettura ed interpretazione sono tuttora piuttosto controverse. Per alcuni studiosi la lettura sarebbe: Magicas / inbiti fas / ey bene Gentio / Aternius / Biro, ovvero "(E') lecito entrare nelle (arti) magiche. Evviva Gentio, Aternio, Biro". Per altri, limitatamente alle prime tre righe, la lettura sarebbe invece: Magicas / inbictas / cede Degentio, ossia "cedi le arti magiche invitte a Decentio", identificando in quest'ultimo l'autore del graffito. Univoca l'interpretazione della parola "magicas", che non va riferita a stregonerie ma ad atti religiosi o strumenti sacri.

I.e.:

On the plaster of the wall to the left of the arch is preserved some graffiti, arranged in five rows. The reading and interpretation of this is still quite controversial. For some scholars, the reading would be: Magicas / inbiti fas / ey bene Gentio / Aternius / Biro, ... For others, limited to the first three lines, the reading would be instead: Magicas / inbictas / cede Degentio, ..., the latter identifying the author of the graffiti. All agree to the interpretation of the word "magicas", which should not be related to magic but to religious acts or sacred instruments.

From H. Solin:

ANCORA SUL GRAFFITO DEL MITREO DEL CIRCO MASSIMO Il graffito del Mitreo del Circo Massimo si è svegliato dal sonno della Bella Addormentata. Data l’evidente importanza dell’iscrizione torno ancora brevemente sull’argomento. Mi sia permesso di premettere riassumendo i vari tentativi finora fatti. Il graffito fu trovato da C. Pietrangeli, scavatore del mitreo, che lo rese noto nel 1941, pubblicando un apografo del testo e, assistito da M. Della Corte, la seguente disperata lettura: magicas/inbit... fa/ef.... egentio/.... nius, senza aggiungere una parola di commento 1. Il graffito, pur contenendo il termine magicas, non venne in quarant’ anni mai trattato nella letteratura scientifica relativa al mitraismo, anche se fu messo a disposizione degli studiosi pure nel CIMRM 1454 (dove la lettura del Della Corte fu solo ripetuta tale quale, senza venire in alcun modo commentata). Naturale però che in un Congresso di studi mitriaci con particolare riferimento alle fonti documentarie romane doveva essere ripreso in esame, e così fui invitato da U. Bianchi ad esporre al Congresso una nuova lettura del documento. L’ho fatto con molta esitazione, perché il graffito ha subito gravi danni per la corrosione dell’intonaco, causata soprattutto dall’umidità. Dopo più ispezioni sull’originale ho finalmente arrischiato la seguente lettura: magicas/inbictas/cede Degentio, rinunciando per il resto del graffito. La parola cruciale magicae (sc. artes) l’ho spiegata come qualche ricetta magica, che Decenzio (personaggio forse non mitraista) voleva che gli fosse ceduta.2 Negli stessi Atti dove fu pubblicato il mio contributo, M. Guarducci presento il suo tentativo di lettura che credeva di poter pienamente garantire: magicas/inbiti fas./ey bene, Gentio,/ Aternius Biro. «(E) lecito entrare nelle (arti) magiche. Evviva Gentio, Aternius, Biro». Per la Guarducci, la fraseiniziale deve rappresentare una norma sancita da un’autorita che i frequentatori del mitreo riconoscono; la norma a sua volta deve essere molto antica, visto che il verbo baetere ed i suoi composti rimangono completamente in disuso circa la meta del II secolo a.C. II termine magicae dovrebbe essere interpretato direttamente in conncssione con il vero magus. Da tutto cio risulterebbe il fatto sorprendente che ci fossero stati a Roma dei magi mitriaci gia prima della meta del II secolo a.C. Infine ... ... The graffiti was found by C. Pietrangeli, excavator of the Mithraeum, who made it known in 1941, publishing an apograph of the text and, assisted by M. Della Corte, the following desperate reading: magicas / inbit ... fa / ef .. .. egentio / .... nius, without adding a word of comment 1. The graffito, while containing the term magicas, was never treated in forty years in the scientific literature related to Mithraism, even if it was made available to scholars also in the CIMRM 1454 (where the reading of the Court was only repeated as such, without being commented in any way). But it is natural that in a Congress of Mithraic studies with particular reference to Roman documentary sources it had to be taken up again, and so I was invited by U. Bianchi to set out to the Congress a new reading of the document. I did it very hesitantly, because the graffiti suffered serious damage due to the corrosion of the plaster, caused above all by humidity. After several inspections on the original I finally risked the following reading: magicas / inbictas / cede Degentio, giving up the rest of the graffiti. I have explained the crucial word magicae (sc. Artes) as some magical spell, which Decentius (a character perhaps not a Mithraist) wanted it to be given to him.2 In the same Acts where my contribution was published, M. Guarducci presented his attempt which he believed he could fully guarantee: magicas / inbiti fas./ey bene, Gentio, / Aternius Biro. "(It is) lawful to enter the magical (arts). Long live Gentius, Aternius, Biro". For Guarducci, the initial sentence must represent a norm sanctioned by an authority that the mithraeum-goers recognize; the norm in turn must be very ancient, given that the verb baetere and its compounds fall completely into disuse from about the middle of the second century BC. The magic word should be interpreted directly in connection with the true magus. From all this it would appear the surprising fact that there had been in Rome some mithraic magi prior to the middle of the second century BC. Finally ...

Bibliography

• C. Pietrangeli, "Il Mitreo del Palazzo dei Museo di Roma", Bullettino della Commissione archeologica Communale di Roma (cf. BCM). From 1939: Bullettino della Commissione archeologica del Governatorato di Roma. 68 (1940-41), 143ff; also separately in Monumenti di Roma 4, Roma 1941.
• H. Solin, "Ancora sul Graffito del Mitre del Circo Massimo", in: La soteriologia dei culti orientali nell'Impero romano, p.126-131. Google Books Preview here.

External links

• Antonio Insalaco, "DEO SOLI INVICTO MITHRAE: i misteri iniziatici nella Roma imperiale ed il Mitreo del Circo Massimo", Imago Romae, 5 Nov. 2008. Photography by Alfredo Corrao. Retrieved 28 Feb. 2014. An extremely useful and detailed site (in Italian). Unfortunately the site is already decaying and large images from the "gallery" are not found.
• Csaba Szabo, The Mithraeum near Circus Maximus, Sept 7, 2019. Wonderful account of the site with photographs.