INTRODUCTION

Originally from the East, Mithras appeared in Rome in the 1st century clothed in a Phrygian cap, a pleated tunic and baggy trousers. His cult established itself with little difficulty in the Roman Empire, which, at the time, practised a policy of religious tolerance. The god enjoyed great success and had his own special niche, attracting thousands of followers until the 5th century.

We still know little about the founding doctrine; it is better to use the word cult since we know more about the rituals practised than beliefs held.

The remains of temples dedicated to Mithras, mithraea, are rare in France. In the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, there are traces of the cult in Entrains-sur-Nohain and Mandeure, but Nuits-Saint-Georges is the only municipality where excavations have uncovered the structure of a building. The temple is located on the archaeological site of Les Bolards, near a large sanctuary which was probably dedicated to a deity of healing waters. This mithraeum is of major scientific interest in studying and understanding this cult, often described as a “mystery religion”. It is also quite an exceptional site for studying the Gallo-Roman civilisation in general.

Archaeological remains and the few writings that have been found have been interpreted in all sorts of sometimes fantastical ways. Recent discoveries have cast this deity in a new light.