The program of my region

Die Farben der Römerzeit

Zusätzlich zu ihrem Eintritt wird allen Besucher*innen des Archäologischen Museum Carnuntinum an diesem Tag eine kostenlose Themenführung angeboten: Zu jeder vollen Stunde berichten Wissenschafter*innen des Projekts “PolychroMon“ über die aktuelle Forschung an Farben, welche zur Römerzeit verwendet wurden. Treffpunkt am Eingang.

Blue, Red, Yellow, Green...Mysteries of the Colours of Mithras cult Unveiled

The guided tour is dedicated to a special group of monuments belonging to the cult of Mithras from Carnuntum. In this tour, you can find out who Mithras was, what he has to do with Persia, and how he ended up becoming one of the most popular deities in the Roman Empire. Together, we will learn the secrets of the cult initiation and what kind of rituals were performed in the dark caves where Mithras was worshipped. A particular focus will be given to the cult images in which god Mithras is depicted killing the bull. Why did Mithras kill the bull and what is the symbolic meaning of this deed? Besides finding out who Cautes and Cautopates are, you will discover what a serpent, a dog, and a scorpion have to do with Mithras. Most of all, this tour will give you an insight into how the images depicting Mithras in Carnuntum were painted and how are we able to detect colour remains even when we can not see them with the naked eye. We will show you which pigments were discovered so far on these monuments analyzed within the framework of the research project “Colours Revealed – Polychromy of Roman Monuments in the Danube Provinces (PolychroMon).” Visitors will be given a chance to give their contribution and to paint their own Mithraic cult image!
The meeting point for this guided tour is at the entrance of the museum. Come and discover the colourful world of Romans with us!