Jesusism - Just Another First Century Mystery Cult

[Minimalist]

Mithraism, archaeologically present in Cesearea c. 6 BCE.

Mithridates I, King of Pontus in Asia Minor, in the early 3d century BC.  Mithridates means "Gift of Mithra" so it would seem that in Asia Minor Mithra was a fairly important god long before the Romans made it that far.

The Romans defeated Mithridates VI in the First Mithradatic War between 89-85 BC and Plutarch writes that Pompey's legions came into contact with Mithraism in 67 BC but this makes little sense.  The Romans under Sulla and Lucullus had been deeply involved in Western Asia Minor for a generation before Pompey got there.