Fascinating.--Scientific American The teachings of the ancient Roman 'mystery religion' of Mithraism -- one of the most important competitors of early Christianity -- were guarded with the utmost secrecy, revealed only to select initiates. While the Mithraists never wrote down their secret doctrines, they did leave a key to them in the arcane iconography which filled the walls of their underground temples. Until now, all attempts to decipher this iconography have proven fruitless. Most experts have been content with a vague hypothesis that these images somehow derived from ancient Iranian religion. In this groundbreaking work, David Ulansey offers a radically different theory. He argues that Mithraic iconography was actually an astronomical code, and that the cult began as a religious response to a startling scientific discovery. As his investigation proceeds, Ulansey penetrates step by step the mysteries concealed in Mithraic iconography, until finally he is able to reveal the central secret of the cult: a secret consisting of an ancient vision of the ultimate nature of the universe. Convincing.... All fits together beautifully.--The Journal of Religion Thrilling.... Bravo for Ulansey.--Religious Studies Review Brilliant and fascinating... entirely convincing.... The reviewer had trouble in putting it down.--The Ancient World Ulansey has produced an astounding book.--Critical Review of Books in Religion Remarkable.... [Ulansey's] book makes a very pleasurable read. In comprehensiveness his theory appears to have no rival.--Ancient Philosophy Erudite, well written, and fascinating to read.--Bulletin of the Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions David Ulansey is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University.