I pavimenti antichi dei mitrei ostiensi. Riesame della documentazione

It is known that many mithraea were found in Ostia. After their publication by Giovanni Becatti, more than sixty years ago, the research on Mithraism in such an important site has found today new life thanks to the excavations of the Ostia Marina Project of the University of Bologna and to the discovery of the so-called Mithraeum of colored marbles, which owes its name to the very particular marble pavement found in the spelaeum. Starting from this discovery, the pavements of the numerous known mithraea in Ostia are presented here. Their analytical study allows us to outline the peculiar characteristics of these sacred spaces and to reconstruct the furnishings of the rooms. Moreover, this analysis offers useful elements to understand the ritual forms of one of the most widespread cults in the Roman Empire between the 2nd and the 4th century AD.