A Cuckoo in the Magpie's Nest

The Pantheon stood in the heart of Rome. Construction began between 27 and 25 BC, and it was built by Agrippa, son-in-law of Octavian, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, to worship the gods of Mount Olympus.

Yet in Mithraic legend, Mithras was born from a stone cave. Worship of Mithras was common among soldiers during the Roman era; wherever there was a Roman camp, there were sun caves and Mithraic stone monuments.

Military authority was vital to an emperor and could not be entrusted to someone unreliable. Agrippa was Rome's military commander and a naval strategist. During the Roman civil wars, he followed Consul Gaius Octavian across east and west, winning major naval victories time and again and helping Octavian eliminate rival forces and unify Rome. Yet after the Roman Empire was founded, Agrippa led a great army on an expedition to Spain and died in battle in 12 BC.

Mithras was not a native Roman religion, but originated in ancient Persia. "Mitra" could be interpreted as a companion of contracts, or an instrument of constraint.

Joining Mithraism was equivalent to joining a "brotherhood," setting one apart from those who had not joined. Yet Mithras was neither a Greek nor Roman god. If someone reported them, their fate might have been worse than that of Socrates, the philosopher accused of inciting Greek youths not to believe in the gods.

In Pomona's eyes, Rome's Pantheon had not been built to worship the gods of Mount Olympus, but Mithras.

Octavian had no sons. After his death in AD 14, he passed the throne to his adopted son Tiberius, who controlled the Praetorian Guard. In terms of prestige, he was inferior to his son-in-law Agrippa.

Tiberius spent his childhood amid hardship and anxiety, often following his parents as they fled enemies