One of the most elusive and hotly debated issues in the study of antiquity is the precise nature of the connection between the Iranian deity Mithra and the military Roman Mithraic mystery cult. The cult which venerated Mithra in Roman circles (where he is traditionally known as Mithras), and which enjoyed a life of nearly 400 years, was esoteric, confined to male members of the Roman military and political elite (though traders and even slaves may have been eligible for membership), and demanded a series of seven graded initiation rites. One of our stunned discoveries was to learn who in the present still venerates this deity.
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