A Mithraic brooch in the Ashmolean in Oxford

Last Saturday I was in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, browsing idly the Roman exhibits.  Suddenly I realised that I was looking at a set of small finds, all of Empire-period deities; and I started looking much more closely to see if there was a representation of Mithras.  And so there was!

Sadly I had no camera with me.  All I had was the camera in my smartphone, which is nothing special.  Anyway I had a go, and, after several attempts, produced this.

I also photographed the card in the window.  I have found, looking for images online, that the presence of such a card in the collection of photos is really good.  So here is mine:

The reverse of the brooch was harder to see, but there was a pin sticking out to one side from the back, just as with a modern brooch.

So … not a wasted day, in any sense!

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