Mithraism, also known as the Religion of Mithras, is one of the ancient and well-documented religions of the ancient East, with origins tracing back to the second millennium BCE. Archaeological and religious sources indicate that this ritual entered the Indian subcontinent and the Iranian plateau via the Indo-European peoples. Over time, Mithraism spread westward as a religious bricolage, affecting cultures from East to West and existing in the West under the name Mithraism until the 4th century CE. Mithraea, or temples dedicated to Mithras, represent significant centers of worship for Mithraists. These sacred places were where the devotees gathered to carry out their religious obligations and rituals. Notably, Mithraea display remarkable artistic and architectural features, with one of the most iconic being the religious depiction of the Tauroctony scene at the center of the altar. The Tauroctony is a central motif within Mithraic worship, usually shown as a representation of Mithras sacrificing a bull in the presence of his companions. This scene, whether depicted in reliefs, sculptures, plaques, or paintings, is not only an artistic expression but also an essential and inseparable part of Mithraic cult centers. It is considered a key symbol of the Mithraic Mysteries, a system of secret religious teachings and rituals associated with the cult of Mithras. The Tauroctony scene, showing Mithras in the act of bull-sacrifice, plays a vital role in conveying the philosophical and theological principles of Mithraism. This scene, drawn in various forms across the geographical spread of Mithraism, reflects a consistent conceptualization of the cult’s underlying beliefs, despite regional variations. The term Tauroctony, meaning "bull-slaying," was first used by the Roman poet Statius in the 1st century CE in his epic Thebaid. The word and the scene it represents have been a subject of scholarly interpretation ever since. German scholar Franz Stark initially linked the Tauroctony motifs to stars and constellations, associating each character in the scene with a counterpart in the zodiac. His work was later contested by the Belgian scholar Franz Cumont, who proposed that the Tauroctony motif had its roots in the ritual practice of sacrificing a bull and bathing in its blood for the "Great Mother" goddess in Phrygia, Asia Minor. As a result, scholars have proposed two distinct interpretations of Tauroctony: an Eastern-Avestan interpretation and a Western-astronomical one. While these interpretations differ, most agree that the ritual structure of Tauroctony is central to understanding the eschatology and purpose of Mithraic practice. Due to the lack of original written texts from the Mithraic religion, the Tauroctony scene serves as one of the few reliable sources for studying Mithraism and its rituals. These visual representations not only demonstrate the religious affiliation of the worshippers with Mithras, but also offer a glimpse into the timing and execution of their sacred rituals. As such, this motif plays a pivotal role in understanding the cult of Mithras and the development of its religious art. The research into the Tauroctony scene attempts to clarify several important aspects of Mithraism: its etymology, the origins of its artistic representations, and how the scene evolved geographically and over time. This study seeks to identify the time and place of the earliest known examples of the Tauroctony, the geographical framework of its expansion, and the artistic developments that took place in different regions. This paper examines and analyzes 61 examples of Tauroctony scenes from 19 different countries worldwide, using a descriptive-analytical-statistical-comparative approach. The chosen examples were selected from regions with a small but notable number of Tauroctony representations, as well as from books, scholarly articles, and catalogs. The study adopts a comparative methodology, which assumes that Mithraism originated in the East and traces the spread of Tauroctony scenes from East to West. The 61 selected samples provide a comprehensive view of the geographical spread of this religious symbol over a period of approximately 900 years, offering valuable insights into how the Tauroctony motif evolved over time and space. The study's primary focus is the classification and typology of the Tauroctony scenes, which reveals key insights into the artistic continuity and change within the Mithraic tradition. These changes are reflective of the different stages in the artistic training of early Mithraic artists, as well as the distinct artistic schools that developed in various regions of the Mithraic world. The 61 examples are categorized based on three main criteria: 1) the technical features of the Tauroctony scene, including object type, gender, inscription, dimensions, the number of characters depicted, and symmetry; 2) the main characters of the Tauroctony scene, such as Mithras, the bull, the snake, the dog, and the scorpion; and 3) the secondary characters, which include the raven, Mithras's companions, Sol and Luna, as well as additional elements like lions, stars, zodiac signs, and aquatic animals. Once these scenes are classified, they can be further typologized into different types and styles. This typology is essential for understanding how the Tauroctony scene was adapted to communicate particular theological or philosophical ideas specific to each region. The typology of Tauroctony scenes is crucial for understanding how they evolved over time. Each of the scenes within the three categories can be depicted in several different forms or subspecies. This means that the Tauroctony scene had multiple variations that differed based on the location, the community’s specific beliefs, and the local iconography. By analyzing these variations, it becomes clear that the changes in the Tauroctony scenes were not random; rather, they reflect the changing beliefs and religious ideologies of Mithraic practitioners as they spread across different cultures. The evolution of these scenes provides insight into the theological concepts emphasized by Mithraic artists in different periods and geographical locations. The study concludes that there were three main artistic schools responsible for the creation of Tauroctony scenes: the Eastern, Central, and Western schools. These schools correspond to the three primary geographical regions where Mithraism flourished, with each region contributing distinct features to the representation of the Tauroctony. In each of these artistic schools, changes in the design of the scenes occurred as the cult spread, shaped by regional beliefs and the preferences of local communities. Some artistic features of the Tauroctony scene were created in one region and later exported to others, while some features remained confined to their original location. These regional variations of the Tauroctony scene carry valuable insights into the local religious beliefs, regional iconography, and the transmission of Mithraic rituals from one area to another. In terms of chronological development, the oldest known examples of Tauroctony scenes are from the Achaemenid period in Egypt. The styles used in these early examples can be seen as the models for later representations of the Tauroctony scene. Over time, as Mithraism spread from the East to the West, the artistic style of the Tauroctony scene evolved, with each region incorporating its own cultural influences. This progression is evident in the changes in the portrayal of the main and secondary characters, as well as the incorporation of additional elements like the zodiac signs, celestial bodies, and animals. These variations reflect the diverse religious, astronomical, and cultural influences that shaped the Mithraic world. In conclusion, the Tauroctony scene is a central and enduring symbol of Mithraism, representing both the religious beliefs and the artistic traditions of Mithraic worshippers across different regions and periods. Through the study of the typology and evolution of these scenes, this research highlights the adaptability and continuity of the Mithraic cult, offering insights into how religious motifs evolved over time and how they were influenced by the changing social, cultural, and geographical contexts of the Mithraic world.

Mina’i pottery is a reflection of archetypal systems in the Medieval Islamic dynasty and a source of inspiration for Persian painting in the next periods. In this research, the archetypal appearance of the dragon-killing on Mina’i has been investigated. Structure and sources of the ancient dragon-slaying topic that has been reflected on Mina’i are considered with descriptive and analytic methods. The hypothesis of this research is that before the appearance of dragon-slaying in Islamic manuscripts, its images were found in Mina’i. The present study tries to answer the following questions: In what sense, were the first ancient signs or concepts of dragon-slaying formed?  What are the ancient and intercultural concepts influencing the formation of the dragon-slaying theme on Mina’i ware? One of the aims of the research is to achieve the fundamental images, ancient concepts and intercultural influences in the formation of the dragon-killing theme in the Islamic era. So comparative study on 5 Mina’i and 8 pre-Islamic cultural data from Mesopotamia and ancient Iran has done to consider contents and forms of snakelike dragon motifs. The results demonstrate that although many of archeological evidences in the field of dragon-slaying are found in ancient texts and documents, but the oldest examples of pictorial dragon-slaying are attributed to Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC, which shows the defeat of the hero with the seven-headed dragon. Other results of the research indicate that, in terms of dragon-slaying themes, the Hasanlu Bowl can be considered the most complete battle between the dragon and the hero that fights the dragon and releases the water that fertilizes. More than a century later, dragon-slaying is depicted in Great patriarchal Shāhnāme. Almost a thousand years later, after transformation in forms and concepts in this battle happens or even if has been removed from the minds, it can be seen in the 6th AH on Mina’i and maybe under the influence of Shāhnāme.   Introduction Archetype is a predisposition to perceive the world in certain ways that are inherited from past generations; not a specific idea or belief. Is much the same across different cultures (a “universal thought form”) and is in the collective unconscious. Archetypes include the anima, animus, shadow, persona, hero various animals, the self and etc. (Ewen, 2014: 62). The presence of the archetype’s concepts can be seen in many visual art and artifact that remains from different historical eras. Since ancient times, dragons were seen as the fantastical embodiment of chaosو evil, and drought. They seem to be an important part of legends and myths in almost every culture ever (except china) since the cradle of civilization to the Islamic dynasty. A hero who symbolically kills a Dragon is a mythological concepts witch had higher meaning during historical ages in many cultures around the world that can be seen in literature, belief, and religion in the form of inscription, Motifs, and artifacts. It is indeed evident that the various dragon-slaying myths in several cultures influenced each other repeatedly and in all directions, each society building its own myth out of various components in a manner unique and particular. In this archetypal transition, some concepts are changed, omitted, forgotten, or even a new purpose for dragon-slaying is determined. In previously published researches, have specifi­cally addressed the mythological studies on dragon meaning with an emphasis on ancient documents such as Mesopotamian manuscripts, Zoroastrian writings, and Shāhnāme Firdausi that have been limited to Transformation and even forgetting the concepts on Islamic samples such as Mina’i ceramics. Additional studies have examined Mina’i with a focus on patterns, inscription, and themes or reflation of Persian literature on Mina’i motifs. This paper focuses on aspects of the representation of killing the dragon on Mina’i with an iconographical approach. The main hypothesis of this article is that for the first time in the Islamic era, dragon-slaying appears on Mina’i wares. This research is the descriptive-analytical method. One of the aims of the research is to achieve the fundamental images, ancient concepts, and intercultural influences in the formation of the dragon-killing theme in the Islamic era. Dragon-slaying on Mina’i has also been considered in comparison with ancient sources. In order to understand the content and images of dragon-slaying, motifs on Mina’i and textual and visual sources found on seals in ancient Iran and neighboring civilizations have been studied.     Results and Discussion In this research dragon-slaying on five Mina’i ceramics has been investigated. These images are from the Vollmoeller Collection in Zurich, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, the Freer Gallery of art, and the Sarikhani Private collection. These wares are compared with 7 ancient Mesopotamian seals and the Hasanlu bowl. In the Ilkhanid dynasty, the dragon-slaying theme first time is represented in the illustrations of the Great Mongol Shāhnāme. Mina’i pottery is believed to have originated in Seljuk, Kharazmshahid, and Ilkhanid Iran from the late twelfth to the early thirteenth century. It is possible that these concepts, before the presence of dragon-slaying in miniature painting, for the first time in the Islamic dynasty, were drawn in a form of narrative colorful miniature on Mina’i. The current research focuses on characterizing and iden tify the effect of archeological and archetypal evidence such as texts, images, mythological behavior, and personal mind that perhaps are the first cause of dragon-slaying appearance. The result of this study indicates that although the visual elements of dragon-slaying have not been observed in Iran for more than a thousand years, the reflection of this archetype on various artworks shows that although this battle has been influenced by the replacement, change, and forgetting of previous elements in different historical times. The other results demonstrate that although much archeological evidence in the field of dragon-slaying is found in several ancient texts and documents, the oldest examples of pictorial dragon-slaying are attributed to Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC, which shows the defeat of the hero with the seven-headed dragon. It can be said that the presence of dragon-slaying on Mina’i is seen for the first time in the visual sources of the Islamic dynasty in Iran. This image is the same narration from ancient times but with a different meaning which is depicted based on the text of Shāhnāme.   Conclusion The survey of the archetype “slaying-dragon” on Mina’i, indicates that probably before the presence of this pottery type, images of dragon killing were not available on Islamic Persian artifacts. Visual representation of a hero, as a horseman or on foot, fighting a snake-dragon (one, three, or seven-headed); It is a traditional formula and lasting arrangement from ancient times. However, in ancient times, the dragon image is scary but failed or running away, which is the focus of the image. In Mina’i, the emphasis is on the hero images and visual values but dragons are sometimes trapped under the horse’s legs. In all of the archaeological finds in this research (Mina’i, ancient seals, and Hasanlu bowl) no related text indicates the identity of the hero and the dragon. There is speculation to identify the characters. Enamel pottery is probably not the first pictorial example of a dragon in the Islamic period, but it is one of the first pictorial sources before the appearance of the Chinese dragon in Iranian works. Although dragon-slaying reflects cultural exchanges over several thousand years, it also leaves unanswered the achievement of a definitive view of the nature of the first dragon-slaying thought.

Dragon and the Hero's battle with it is one of the most important and most repeated motifs in epic-mythological narratives about goddess and athlete's initiation, which is found in many of the mythical cultures of the world. The repeat of this motif symbolizes the repeat of a pattern to forge the holy order for the world after the era of turbulence. Victory's hero in this battle ensures the return of light and rain to the nature and enunciates the good tidings and blessings, as well as fundamental frequency and security to the people.In this paper, we analyze the dragon myth in external and internal dimensions: the external dimension of the dragon myth is based on the natural-historical symptoms and is focused on the central role of a "snake"; a natural showing of death and destruction and an animistic interpretation of phenomena like flood, earthquake and geyser. In anthropologic approach–especially from psychological Jung's analysis– the internal dimension of the dragon's myth represents the dark side of the unconscious that has been displayed outwards.While the hero overcomes his "shadow," he achieves the transcendental individuality and perfection of human and he will save the nature and their people.

Seven healthy and sexually adult bulls were slaughtered and their reproductive system was isolated. Different tissues including: testes, epididymis, vas deferan, ampulla, accessory sex glands (seminal vesicle, prostate and bulb urethra), muscular and mucosal layer of pelvic and penile urethra were carefully dissected. Total soluble protein and arginase specific activity (ASA) were measured by Lowry and modified paranitrophenylglyoxal (PNPG) method, respectively. The results indicate that the highest arginase specific activity (51.28±8.79 x10-3 IU/mg of protein) is present in muscle of pelvic part of urethra. Based on ASA, bulls reproductive system was categorized in three tissue groups: high, medium and low. Muscular layer of penile urethra with the highest ASA level (> 50 X10-3IU/mg tissue protein) is in the 1st group, Testes, bulbourethral gland and mucosal layer of penile urethra (30-40 X10-3 IU/mg tissue protein) are in the2nd group and the rest parts (<25 X10-3IU/mg protein) arein3rd group. Significant differences observed between classified tissues (p<0.05). The present study indicates that ASA is present at different levels in all parts of bull reproductive system. This condition may be related to different rate of cell proliferation and differentiation or some other unknown physiological and biochemical activities of the enzyme in this system.

The most mysterious and wonderful story of Mehr is the fight with the primitive bull. Mithrahelps the earth to flourish and fertilize by killing the eternal bull and shedding its blood. This basic idea in Mehr religion influenced many cultures and cults. Belief in different forms of sacrifice as a way to evade evil forces and achieve blessing has been an integral part of the lives of peoplein the Iranian Plateau throughout history. For this reason, some sacred man or animal became the scapegoat for a tribe so that their sacrifice would diminish the sins, pains and sufferings of people. By these actions and using dramatic-ritual methods, people aimed toreconstruct the time and place of cosmic creation sothat they could find happiness and blessing once again by killing the primitive bull. Thus, in a public feast, they all ate a piece of the beef to transfer its power, fertility and blessing to themselves, andreached a sort of unity. This happy sacrificing became one of the themes in Persian literature and was recreated in the works of many poets and writers. Among these, NezamiGanjavi has paid especial attention to the ritual of sacrifice in the storyof "Haft Peykar". By the language of tales, he points to a number of sacrifice-related rituals including regeneration, creation, rain prayer, eclipse, and war. He uses literary devices such as allegory, allusion and ambiguity to draw a new and interesting image of these beliefs and ritual traditions.

Collected semen with a good quality and quantity is essential for a bull for selected semen collection and preservation. This survey was carried out on a Friesian Holstein bull, kept in Northwestern breeding center of Iran. Although the bull had normal libido, the semen produced was reported to be azoospermic. Clinical examinations proved no testicular abnormality but the scrotal circumference was measured 27 centimetres which is less than the normal size of this breed (at least 30 centimetres). In histopathological studies, there was a decrease in semeniferous tubule's epithelium (sertoli and gonadal cells), Beside intratubules focal calcifications, fonnation of new connective tissue and vascularization was observed. All of these signs demonstrate an extensive degeneration in both testes.

This is a report of a penile fibrosarcoma in a two-year-old crossbred Holstein bull. The ulcerated tumor mass with dimensions of 7 × 9 × 6.5 cm, was enveloped the glans and body of the penis. It had a white-gray color at cross section appearance. There was no metastatic evidence of regional lymph node enlargement. Histopathologically, elongated spindle-shaped cells arranged densely in the interwoven pattern had a low rate of mitosis with oddly-shaped nuclei and pleomorphism. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells were positive for vimentin and S100, but negative for α-smooth muscle actin, desmin, C-KIT and GFAP.

The image of a wild bull in pre- Islamic poem usually links to the roadster of poets, that is a camel, and from their view point’s the constituents of bull's image are similar to those of camel’s image. Relying on Jahez's ideas on such an image in the pre-Islamic poems, some of the contemporary researchers and critics argue that the camel’s image corresponds to the religion, rites, social customs as well as literary traditions. Furthermore, it consists of certain echoes of traditions, habits and tribal worships as the people in Arabia, while worshipping cows, considered them as a magic fetish and spell in case of praying for rain. To show a harmony between the different elements of the pre-Islamic ode, one may choose a mythological analysis which reveals a deep relation between the concepts and contents of the ode. In this type of analysis, the wild bull represents the symbol of wisdom and power and cleverness which are considered the characteristics of camel which – in turn- is the persona of the poet.