Mithras Petra Genetrix (Mithraeum of the Castra Peregrinorum)

This impressive PLA print reproduction of the marble sculpture, dated between 180 and 192 CE during the reign of Emperor Commodus, depicts Mithras emerging naked from a rock, known in Latin as Petra Genetrix-the “generative rock” or “mother rock.” The piece was dedicated by Aurelius Bassinus, Aedituus (guardian of the cult) of the principia at the Castra Peregrina, the barracks of the imperial cavalry (equites singulares) in Rome. The votive inscription also names the Roman knight Aulus Caedicius Priscianus, who served at the time as pater (the highest degree of initiation) and high priest (Antistes) of the Mithraeum. The statue was discovered around Santo Stefano Rotondo, on the Caelian Hill, beneath which once stood the ancient Mithraeum of the Castra Peregrinorum. It is now preserved and displayed at the Baths of Diocletian, part of the National Roman Museum in Rome. In this depiction, Mithras appears as a youthful figure emerging from the interior of the rock, a symbol of cosmic birth. He is often shown holding a torch in one hand and a dagger in the other, attributes that evoke his initiatory power and the divine spark that animates him. The scene embodies a profound spiritual allegory rooted in alchemical symbolism, in which the body of Mithras is seen as a living temple of the spirit, and his emergence as the beginning of creation. The sculpture conveys the idea that detachment from material bonds and the abandonment of earthly attachments are necessary preludes to a new beginning and spiritual transformation. Beside Mithras, shepherds often appear paying homage to him; figures that can be interpreted as symbolic guides assisting the initiate in their process of rebirth, though the act must be willed by the seeker alone. As a votive offering and devotional object, this sculpture is one of the oldest and most significant representations of Mithras’s birth from the rock. Its symbolic depth and ritual context offer a valuable window into Roman religious thought, the structure of the Mithraic cult, and the esoteric practices of the late 2nd century. Without a doubt, it remains one of the most remarkable and meaningful Mithraic works preserved in Rome. This piece is truly essential for any Roman altar or Lararium, and especially fitting for commemorating the birth of Mithras, “the true God born on December 25,” not the Galilean.

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