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In the days of the Roman Empire, several Near Eastern deities were worshipped, among them being Mithras who was originally a Persian god. During the Hellenistic period, when Mithras was in Asia Minor, he met Cybele, a native mother goddess who possessed great fame.
According to F. Cumont, Mithras was identified with Attis, a god of vegetation, who assumed the role as a young lover of Cybele. Thus, it was possible for the Mithras and Cybele sects to become friendly with each other with this cordial relationship continuing throughout the period of the Roman Empire until the triumph of Christianity.
Over the years, Cumont's theory has been accepted by others including Graillot. However, all of Cumont's suppositions are mainly hypothetical and a new examination of materials shows that both sects were actually not on good terms with each other, although they were never antagonistic and opposed to each other's beliefs. Also, in a wider sense, many other Oriental deities —including Mithras and Cybele— were largely independent of each other.
