My London Mithraeum vlog is now live!
The London Mithraeum was a temple dedicated to the Roman god Mithras, was built in the 3rd century AD and lies on the site of the long-gone London river, the Walbrook.
The lost cult of Mithras first appeared in the 1st century AD and spread over Europe during the next 300 years. The temples- which were often constructed below ground, and built to resemble a cave- were dark, windowless and mysterious. The mythological scene of killing a bull within a cave- a tauroctony- was at the heart of this strictly male-only cult. The cult was very secretive, so therefore workings were unknown to outsiders. No written texts from the cult have survived, and what we know comes from archaeological research and brief references by Christian and Roman writers.
It it's believed that the killing of a bull was considered a cosmic event; and accompanied by zodiac signs. But did the killing of a bull really happen, or was this event merely symbolic? Come and take a walk in my shoes into this rather spooky space, see the interactive show depicting a ritual meeting, and find out. I really enjoyed making this video- it includes a bit of writing, and I'll always be about the written word!
