The petroglyph is located between the settlements of Meses and Kato Thermes, forty-five kilometers from Xanthi, after Echinos
On the way to the Thermal Baths of the municipality of Mykis, in mountainous Xanthi, where the hot springs and the beauty of nature so generously offer their gifts to man, history and myth marry harmoniously and are imprinted on an impressive rock painting, the stone relief of Mithra Tauroktonou.
The rock art is located between the settlements of Meses and Kato Thermes, forty-five kilometers from Xanthi, after Echinos.
In recent years, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Xanthi, in an effort to highlight the monument, placed two informative signs (in Greek and English) on the road, making it even easier to locate the relief representation.
The visitor will need to carefully cross a small uphill path for about a hundred meters. There, in the heart of nature, as he will think he is cut off from the rest of the world, he will see on a rock a part of the history of this place.
Before climbing the mountainside, the information board contains information so that everyone can better understand what they will see.
What does the relief represent?
The relief, discovered only in 1973, is 1.07 m high and 1.12 m wide at its base. It is entirely carved into the mountainside and depicts the ancient Persian god Mithras within arched frame as he kills the sacred bull.
Mithras wears a Persian garment, a short tunic, a chlamys flowing backwards, and a Phrygian cap. With the outstretched right leg he steps on the rear right leg of the bull while bringing his left knee to the back of the kneeling animal. The god probably holds the bull’s head with his left hand while with his right he performs the sacrifice by plunging the knife into its throat.
His followers, Kavtis and Kavtopatis, are depicted on the right and left dressed in a similar way. They hold lighted torches, pointing upwards and towards the ground. Below the sacred animal is the snake, which is waiting to quench its thirst with the blood of the sacrifice. Between Cautis and the bull’s head is the figure of Mithras born from the rock holding torch and knife.
An unidentified figure, perhaps a bust of Helios, is projected above the central representation.
At the bottom of the relief are scenes from the religious cycle of Mithras within eight small arched frames. These are associated with the stages of initiation of the faithful or with the favors of the god: Atlas raising the Earth, Mithras the archer in the miracle of the gushing of water, Mithras on the vanquished bull, Mithras the bull-bearer, the ordination scene where the god he rests his hands on the head of the Sun, the sacred banquet of Mithras and the Sun, and the ascent of the god to heaven.
The worship of the ancient Persian god Mithras
Mithras was a minor deity in ancient Persian religion. The name Mitra or Mithra is mentioned in the Avesta sacred texts of Zoroastrianism and was rendered into Greek as Mithras. The information that exists about Mithras comes from numerous archaeological finds.
Plutarch mentions that pirates from Cilicia brought the ceremonies for the worship of the god to Rome. Modern scholars argue that Mithraism is not simply a Roman version of the Persian cult of Mitra, but was created in Rome by some who knew Greek and Eastern religions, while incorporating ideas that may have flowed through the Hellenistic kingdoms.
The mysteries were especially popular among the Roman legions. The sanctuaries of Mithras were mainly underground spaces, natural caves or structures – crypts. In the alcove where the central corridor ended there was a performance of the bull-slaughter. Worship was exclusively male.
How the ancient god is connected to Christmas
Many scholars refer to common elements of the cult of Mithras with Christianity, such as the initiation ceremony, the use of water, the holy supper, the birth of god on december 25Sunday as a day of worship and the soteriological character.
Myths and legends
Nowadays, some elderly Pomaks, residents of the settlements, influenced by legends and traditions, believe that the rock designs are signs of hidden treasure, while they always talk about the healing properties of the hot springs that spring up in the area. Besides, it is no coincidence that there are organized thermal baths in Therme.
It should be noted that a plaster cast of the stone relief has been exhibited in recent years in the archaeological museum of Komotini.
Source :Skai
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