A TERRACOTTA MASK OF MITHRAS FOUND AT CAMİHÖYÜK-AVANOS, CAPPADOCIA PROVIDING NEW EVIDENCE ON THE MITHRAIC CULT AND RITUAL PRACTICES IN ANATOLIA

Authors : Ayşe Fatma Erol, Süleyman Yücel Şenyurt

Pages : 87-106

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Publication Date : 2011-08-10

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This article focuses on a terracotta mask, which was recently recovered during Camihöyük rescue excavations within the scope of a dam construction in Cappadocia, Anatolia. The available pieces of the mask matched each other perfectly making it possible to reconstruct the mask\\\'s figure to a great extent. The fact that the mask\\\'s facialfeatures resemble to those of the Mithras\\\' iconography, points to its association with the Mithras cult. The mask and its association with Mithras and its usage in Mithraic ritual practises will be the main subject of this study. This article aims to contextualize the mask with its origins andfunctions, and also to set a date for it by comparing its stylistic features to iconographically similar materials.
Keywords : Pişmiş toprak maske, Mithras, Kapadokya

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