list, we may infer that he was not yet a Paterat the time of the original ded-
ication, but he must have been elevated to that rank not long afterwards
since he, like his colleague Trebius Zoticus, fell victim to the “mortality.” It
is possible that he was elevated to replace Trebius but quickly succumbed
to the same fate.
Most interesting is the arrival of the next Father, Trebius Alfius. He is
the first listed of the cohort which in 184 CEbrought the membership up
to strength after the “mortality.” Since his rank was inscribed by the same
hand that inscribed his name (as well as the rank of the two original
Fathers), we must infer that he brought his rank with him, or at least suf-
ficient seniority as a Mithraist to render him immediately papabile.The
same appears to be true five years later (189 CE) of C. Fl(avius) Nectareus.^6
His title, too, was inscribed by the same hand that inscribed his name.
Interestingly, precedence in the list for that cohort of two was given not to
him but to his fellow initiate, Q. Baienius Ingenu(u)s. In contrast, the last
listedPater,M. Mar(ius) Severianus, appears to have reached the grade
some time after his induction into the mithraeum in 192 CE, since his title
appears to have been added subsequently. Severianus is the only Paterto
appear on both alba, but unfortunately his name is not well enough pre-
served on the marble to know whether his rank was also given there. What
can be said with certainty is that his rank did not promote him to the head
of the new list. Unlike the bronze, the marble albumseems to have ignored
such precedence or, rather, to have defined precedence strictly by year of
entry.
The bronze album,one must admit, is not very informative about the
dynamics of leadership in the Virunum mithraeum. Starting in the sec-
ond year, it duly registers the title of Paterfor those who held it. The fact that
two of the four added Fathers joined from outside might suggest that the
mithraeum was at pains to ensure that there was no lacuna in this senior
grade. But it might equally well mean no more than that two Mithraists of
this rank had arrived in town during the nineteen years of the album’s
span.
My guess would be that the practice at Virunum was to have a pair
of colleagues as Patres.Iulius Secundinus and Trebius Zoticus were the
Fathers when the new mithraeum building was dedicated, and they are
set at the head of the list. Atticius Sextus succeeded Trebius Zoticus, and
Trebius Alfius succeeded Trebius Zoticus, each on his predecessor’s death.
190 PART II •MISSION?
6 Nectareus, given the cult’s interest in honey (Porphyry, Antr. nymph.15–20, and see
above, Mithraism and Conversion), is a suspiciously apposite name for a senior Mithraist;
cf. Melichrisus (“honey-anointed”), the dedicant of V2268/9 (Moesia Inferior).