The presence of the Cult of Mithra in the Eastern Black Sea in the Antiquity

The Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey had been ruled by many civilisations during the Antiquity for various political, economic and cultural reasons. Being the place where Hellenistic, Persian and Roman battles took place due to its geostrategic characteristics and rich resources, it is also where eastern and western cultures intersect and therefore carries traces of both cultures. As difficult to come by as an occurrence of a common culture and language is in such a particularistic, i.e. distinctive, land within this historical zone; a developed, enrooted culture would take many years to vanish within the grounds of Eastern Black Sea as well. Taking all these factors into consideration, Eastern Black Sea had respected and been influenced by Hellenistic, Persian and Roman gods brought around as of the Great Colonization Activities (750-550 BC) along with having its local dynamics and beliefs. As the Achaemenids spread across Eastern Black Sea late 6th century BC, the Mithra cult was one of the religions that was most revered and widely-spread amongst the pagan religions of the Archaic Period. Although there is no detailed information about Mithra during Achaemenids and the Kingdom of Mithridates (Pontos) periods, when ancient, epigraphic, archaeological, numismatic and modern sources are examined, it is understood that Mithra settled in the Eastern Black Sea region during the mentioned periods. In addition, it is clearly seen in the finds that Mithra was one of the most believed cults in the region during the Roman period, when it was called Mithras with some changes in its character. The Trabzon bronze coins with Mithra depictions specifically demonstrate the importance of the cult during the Roman times. The Mithra cult had a crucial place until the acceptance of Christianity in Rome in the 4th century AD and even continued its influence during the Christian era. Focusing on the Mithra Cult as the main key issue, the research problem of this study is based on the existence of the Mithra cult in Eastern Black Sea during the Antiquity. From this point of view, the study aims to pinpoint under which circumstances Mithra developed and was worshipped in this geography and to explain the pre-Christian socio-religious structure of the region, including the reasons for why it spread throughout the region such as political, military and economic factors.