Mithras sacrificing the bull (the Tauroctony)
Mithras sacrificing the bull (the Tauroctony)
Datesecond half of 2nd century CE
Mediummarble
Dimensionsobject: 19 x 33 x 11 in. (48.3 x 83.8 x 27.9 cm)
ClassificationSCULPTURE
Credit LineSBMA, Bequest of Suzette Morton Davidson
Object number2002.31.1
Subject(s)
- mythology
- deity
- men
- animal
- bull
- dog
- snake
Collection
- Antiquity
Sub-Collection(s)
- Roman
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextAn ancient Indo-Iranian god of light and truth, Mithras beame the focus of a mystery-cult that spread widely among Roman soldiers and merchants in the first and second centuries CE. The Roman cult centered on tauroctony, the god’s sacrifice of a bull, which symbolized life through death and the triumph of good over evil. Representations of the sacrifice show Mithras on top of the bull, pulling back his head with one hand and plunging a sword into his neck with the other. A dog and snake drink from the nourishing blood that spills down, while a scorpion (whose significance may be astrological) latches onto the bull’s genitals. Often ears of corn are shown sprouting from the dying bull’s tail. The Santa Barbara tauroctony is among the finest extant examples; it probably once stood inside Mithraeum, a cave-like temple in which devotees of the cult practiced their secret rituals.
