Archive for history
Mithraism on Cities of the Underwold: Rome
May 8th, 2007 • cult, history, tv
Tonight I watched the episode of CotW which was based in Rome. Overall, things were interesting and I found it pretty amazing to see most of the structures that were on the show were still relatively in tact. Trajan’s Basilica was amazing to see. But that’s not what caught my eye. What did was the first 15 or so minutes of the show where Eric Geller got to explore a Mithraeum behind the Circus Maximus.
A museum? No. Mausoleum? Nope! A Mithraeum. It was the Mithraic place of worship built in a cave or underground. Many of these have been found in Rome and the former states of the Empire yet we do know very little about what was actually conducted in a Mithraeum. Thanks to the Avestas and Indians Vedas we know who Mithra was and what his deity entailed but we still cannot conclude what went on between the members who attended a Mithraeum. A lack of real written scripture or history attributes to this as well. The Mithraeum that Geller got to explore was in relatively good shape given the fact that it was most likely 1800 years old. Many of the walls still stood from the foundation although many of them were eroded by time. A large number of benches were still well in tact and the many rooms of the Mithraeum were also in tact. Then they panned to a votive of Mithras slaying the primordial bull during his ascent to the heavens. If it was the original that had stood since the place was still in use, it was in marvelous condition and from what I could see only had a small piece missing of the upper left corner.
The whole temple was in good condition from what they showed and was rather immense for being underground. I thought it was extremely interesting to see that this was the first segment in the show and was also the longest in the episode. For what was many people’s first introduction to Mithraism, I think it was an OK outing but did the show’s subject justice at showcasing the splendor of this underground temple.
Urban exploring goes History Channel
Urban exploring has enjoyed some mainstream attention in the last few years with stints on various TV shows but now, it’s got a primetime slot on the History Channel on Mondays. For those not in the know, urban exploring is just what it sounds like: exploring urban buildings/areas/architecture for fun or historical significance. I’ve done some urban exploring but it’s hard here in Boca Raton where there’s little other than old people to see. But this about the show not where I live.
The show, Cities of the Underground, is all about urban exploring in some of the world’s most famous cities to “uncover the city below the city”. Most of us know that cities and towns are layered upon the older city or town on which they’re built but little of us really know what’s there. So that’s what this show has set out to explore. Tonight’s episode was about Berlin’s massive underground network of bunkers and the technology behind them. It’s amazing to see structures like the Flaktower that were so strong, bomb after bomb could not destroy them so they simply get purposely buried to hide them. All of the episode took place in East Berlin and the amazing structures underneath it. I found the massive underground warehouse-sized underground highway-to-be in East Berlin the most fascinating since it was to be two four-lane highways underneath Berlin to keep the street above free from traffic except for pedestrians.
Next week is Rome’s underground that we’re allowed to see but it should still prove to be pretty interesting. I’m really happy to see urban exploring getting more recognition especially in a historical aspect.