Dura-Europos: Religious diversity

Wall painting of a woman at the well, perhaps the earliest known representation of the Virgin Mary, from baptistery of the Christian building. Paint on plaster, 3rd century AD. 

Dura-Europos was the easternmost Roman stronghold in Mesopotamia (found in modern-day Syria). The Romans under Lucius Verus wrested control of the city from Parthia in AD 164 and it remained under control of Rome until the Sasanians under Shapur I captured the city and deported the population in AD 256-257.

Archaeological evidence shows this border town had become a site for religious tolerance. Evidence shows a variety of faiths practiced at the site, including the still-persecuted Christian faith at possibly the World’s oldest church.

Women at the empty tomb of Christ.

Here is a good article on the religious diversity of Dura-Europos:

Quote

In the Roman period, the time that is best known from the archaeological evidence, we know of no fewer than 19 different religious buildings, many of which had been built under Arsacid (Parthian) rule in the centuries before. Some religious structures, like the Mithraeum, Synagogue, and Christian building, focused on single deities. Others were home to a range of gods. Together, the evidence for the many gods and goddesses of Dura-Europos, preserved through inscriptions, sculptures, and paintings, give us a sense of the complex cultural and religious interconnections of the Roman era in Syria.

Much of this religious imagery was destroyed by ISIS during the Syrian war in 2015.

 https://the-past.com/feature/the-gods-of-dura-europos/

The synagogue of Dura-Europos dated to AD 244:

Mithraeum of Dura-Europos

Here’s a previous thread on evidence of chemical warfare found at Dura-Europos:

Syria was a hotbed of religious diversity, with varied cults that sometimes became fashionable elsewhere in the empire. There was one that was popular among slaves, and another with a very dubious immoral character. I seem to recall that Christian cults (themselves very diverse back then) reached Rome via Syria, though don't quote me on that.