The Konjic Mithraeum, or Konjički Mithraeum ( hbs, Konjički mitrej), is a

Mithraeum A Mithraeum , sometimes spelled Mithreum and Mithraion ( grc, Μιθραίον), is a Mithraic temple, erected in classical antiquity by the worshippers of Mithras. Most Mithraea can be dated between 100 BC and 300 AD, mostly in the Roman Em ...

, a temple dedicated to God of the Sun,

Mithra Mithra ( ae, ''Miθra'', peo, 𐎷𐎰𐎼 ''Miça'') commonly known as Mehr, is the Iranian deity of covenant, light, oath, justice and the sun. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seein ...

, discovered in

Konjic Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a city and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Herzegovina, around southwest of Saraje ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

History

The

mithraeum A Mithraeum , sometimes spelled Mithreum and Mithraion ( grc, Μιθραίον), is a Mithraic temple, erected in classical antiquity by the worshippers of Mithras. Most Mithraea can be dated between 100 BC and 300 AD, mostly in the Roman Em ...

in Konjic was a temple dedicated to God of the Sun,

. The god was worshiped and cult of Mithraism spread to other parts of

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

, throughout the Mediterranean basin, by slaves and merchants from the Orient, and by Roman soldiers who came into contact with the followers of the cult in the East.

Discovery and protection

The remains of the Mithraeum in Konjic were discovered January 1897. The Konjic site is atypical as its floor level is at ground level. This means that temple main characteristic is absence of cave, hollow ground or even constructed ''spelaea''. The Mithraism followers sought as a norm to found their places of worship in caves, whereas in absence of such topographical features they would excavate the soil, where the terrain permitted, and built small single-celled temple, known as ''spelaea'', to reinforce the impression of a cave. However, in case of Konjic, temple was established on open ground, and only protection and seclusion was provided by dense forest, which disappeared by times of its discovery.

References

{{Reflist m m Mithraea Mithraism in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Roman era 4th-century religious buildings and structures

History

Discovery and protection

See also

References