 Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic Mysteries in the cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion that was centred on the god Mithras. This mystery religion was popular amongst the imperial Roman army from around the 1st century AD to the 4th century, and it served as a rival to Christianity in many respects. Now Mithra himself, who was also known as Mayor, wasn't actually a Roman god He was an Iranian deity that was then adopted by the Romans at some point. Mithra was known as the god of the covenant, light, oath, justice and the sun. There are many iconic scenes of Mithras, who's also known as Mithra depending on the spelling, including being born from a rock, slaughtering a bull and having a banquet with the god's soul, meaning the sun. The mythological scene that is really at the heart of the cult of Mithras is Mithras himself slaughtering a bull within a cave, and this is also known as the Tauric Tony, and its full, highly esoteric and symbolic meaning is debated. Some say that from the death of the bull, an animal that signified fertility and strength sprung new life. It is said that when the bull died, a new cosmic order was sprung from this death, and this is partially an explanation or one interpretation of the symbolic significance of Mithras slaughtering the bull within the cave, with Mithra itself serving as a rival to Christianity in many respects. Mithraism, also known as the cult of Mithras, was popular throughout the Roman Empire, and it seems its centre was on Rome. Rome was the capital of Mithraism, but it was popular in various corners of the empire, including Rome and Britain. It was referred to by Roman writers of the time, not as Mithraism, which is a more modern name of this cult, of this mystery religion. It was referred to at the time as the Mithraic Mysteries or the Mysteries of the Persians. One thing that is certainly clear about Mithraism that will certainly reveal itself as we move through this video is that there are heavy Masonic vibes to Mithraism. For instance, the Andesophisticated system of initiation with seven grades or degrees of initiation. Initiates were known as the Syndexi, meaning those united by the handshake. The seven grades of initiation were Korax, meaning raven. Nymphus, meaning bridegroom. Miles, meaning soldier. Leo, meaning lion. Perses, meaning Persian. Heliodromus, meaning courier of and to the sun. And Peter, meaning father. The movement of the initiate through the grades or the degrees in the cult of the Mithras seemed to signify, according to their beliefs that is, the ascent of the soul after death. The seven grades of initiation seems to have been enacted by passing through seven gates and climbing seven steps, with these signifying one of the seven planetary gods. The zealous Mithraist gradually passed the spheres of these minor deities and finally reached the region of the fixed stars. Frescoes in Italy show the initiates, blindfolded, kneeling and prostrated. It seems during the initiation and as part of the symbolic ceremonies that took place, a kind of sacrificial death and rebirth was probably a core ceremony at the heart of the cult of Mithras. The cult predominantly attracted merchants, imperial administrators as well as soldiers, and all initiates seemed to be male. Roman emperors were also initiates as well. The emperors Commodus and Julian were known to be initiates of Mithreism and in 307 AD, the emperor Diocletian consecrated a temple to Mithra close to the River Danube, the protector of the empire. The initiates would meet in secret underground temples where they would conduct the ritual ceremonies and God knows what else. These were often dark private places with no windows, away from prying eyes. In 1954, during the construction of an office block in the city of London, an ancient Roman temple dedicated to the god Mithras was uncovered. It is thought that this was built in the 3rd century AD by Roman Londoner, someone who must have had considerable wealth and all the right connections so to speak. Londonium, modern in day London, was an important site for the Romans in Britain. The temple is very close to the Bank of England headquarters in the city of London, and in 2010, Bloomberg acquired land in Wallbrook Street and went on to build its European headquarters in the exact site where the ancient Roman temple of Mithras was located. Bloomberg has even incorporated the London Mithrium Museum into the bottom floor of its new European headquarters. In relation to Mithraism itself, it essentially had come to an end and been eliminated by the end of the 4th century AD. It had increasingly came under pressure from Christianity, and over the 4th century AD, it had been suppressed to the point that it was pretty much eliminated according to the tradition enemy by the end of that century. Speaking of Roman Britain, did the Roman occupation of Britain make Celtic Britons taller? To find out, please click here. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe and hit the bell, and tell your friends and family about this channel. For the ways to support this work, it will be all in the description below. Thanks again for watching, and I'll see you next time.