According to our ancient sources, Mithras and his mysteries originated in the east. Although early scholars of the cult took these authors at their word, most research produced in the last half century has argued instead that Mithras was a Roman invention and should therefore be viewed through a Roman lens. Yet the cult and its participants remain, in many ways, on the margins of Roman religion. The Making of a Meal seeks to recontextualize this cult through a comparative study of its most fundamental ritual—the communal meal—and investigates the extent to which the cult was shaped by the communities into which it was introduced. In doing so, my project presents an opportunity to reconsider the role of food in Roman religion and the ways in which it allowed people to make meaning in sacred spaces vis-à-vis their own consumption practices and preferences. The result will be the first comprehensive study of sacrifice and feasting in the cult of Mithras, one that engages and contributes to broader discussions on community construction and ritual transmission.

The photograph of Brigitte A. Keslinke was taken by Arielle Hardy.