Bilješka o reversu mitričkog reljefa iz Konjica
A Note on the Reverse of the Mithraic Relief from Konjic

Summary/Abstract: The subject of this paper is the reverse of the Mithraic relief found in Konjic at the end of the 19th century. It is kept, in Zemaljski museum in Sarajevo now. The main scene on the obverse shows a standard bull-killing Mithras and several byscenes. The banquette is represented on the reverse. Two banquetteers are reclining on a kline while masked figures represent stages of Mithras’ religion initiation grades. In order to explain the character of the Konjic obverse, the author compared it with the relief from Ladenburg (Germany) showing Sol and Mithras reclinig on a couch. These figures are naked and their heads are idealized. The banquetteers from Konjic are dressed quite differently they wear paludamentum and tunica with long sleeves. Their heads show clear portrait features, so they obviously belonged to real persons. In spite of the common opinion that the scene on Konjic obverse also depicts Sol and Mithras, the author believes that they show Heliodromus and Pater, the top Mithraic grades of initiation, in company with other initiation grades who serve them food and drink. The author compared the better preserved head of the left figure on the couch of the Konjic obverse and found some portraits in the repertory of Roman official sculpture which show similar characteristics. They all belonged to the tetrarchic or post-tetrarchic periods. It must be emphasized that the Konjic relief belong to the modest provincial sculpture but, however, the comparison is acceptable. That is why the author dated the relief from Konjic to the second decade of the 4th century A.D. The relief was destroyed by Christians at the Theodosian times.

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