Trapezos (AD 161-169) AE 24 - Lucius Verus

Lucius Verus, 161-169 AD. AE24 (9.03g, 7h). Bare head right / Draped bust of Mithras right, wearing radiate Phrygian cap. Near VF, brown patina with touches of red, minor surface roughness. Scarce.

Mithras, the central god of the syncretic Hellenistic mystery religion known as Mithraism, was of Persian origin. There, known as Mithra, he served as a mediator between the supreme god Ahura-Mazda and humankind. His attributes were varied, but he soon became associated as a divinity of light and much of the symbolism of the mystery cult that developed around him is cosmologic. The chief participants of the cult were the military, attracted to the masculine aspect of the god and his selfless sacrifice to duty.