David Ulansey is a scholar of ancient religion, and this Oxford University Press book is his academic study proposing that the Roman cult of Mithras originated from ancient astronomical observation, specifically the precession of the equinoxes, rather than from a direct continuation of Persian Zoroastrian Mithra worship as earlier scholarship had assumed. Its strength is a genuinely original and closely argued thesis connecting the cult's distinctive tauroctony imagery to astronomical symbolism, presented in the entry as one serious reading among several rather than as settled consensus. Its limit is precisely that contested status, Ulansey's precession thesis has drawn both interest and skepticism from other Mithraic scholars, so a claim about the cult's actual origin should note this remains a debated question rather than a solved one.
Facts
Citation
AuthorDavid Ulansey
PublisherOxford University Press
Publication Year1989
URLhttps://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-origins-of-the-mithraic-mysteries-9780195067880
Source Typeacademic monograph
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Published by Oxford University Press as an academic monograph on the ancient Mithraic mystery cult, peer reviewed scholarship rather than a popular or tradition-authored account. NotesThe precession thesis; presented in the entry as one reading among several, not as settled.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Mithra directly: "study proposing that the Roman cult of Mithras originated from ancient astronomical observation, specifically the precession of the equinoxes, rather than from a direct continuation of Persian..."
This source names Mithras directly: "study proposing that the Roman cult of Mithras originated from ancient astronomical observation, specifically the precession of the equinoxes, rather than from a direct continuation of Persian..."
This source names Persians directly: "David Ulansey is a scholar of ancient religion, and this Oxford University Press book is his academic study proposing that the Roman cult of Mithras originated from ancient astronomical observation..."
Claims Backed By This Source (38 claims)
This source backs 38 claims across the atlas. As facts: 22 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 8 holds. Plus 6 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sacred Sites, 21 claims: 14 well-attested, 5 holds, 2 general references.
- Sources, 11 claims: 8 well-attested, 3 holds.
- Historical Periods, 2 claims: 1 scholarly debate, 1 general references.
- Articles, 1 claims: 1 scholarly debate.
- Doctrines, 1 claims: 1 general references.
- Regions, 1 claims: 1 general references.
- Religions, 1 claims: 1 general references.
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