Franz Cumont

Franz Cumont (born Jan. 3, 1868, Aalst, Belg.—died Aug. 25, 1947, Brussels) was a Belgian archaeologist and philologist who strongly influenced the modern Protestant school of the history of religions through his fundamental studies, particularly on Roman pagan cults.

After studying at Ghent, Bonn, Berlin, Vienna, and Paris, Cumont was from 1892 to 1910 professor at the University of Ghent and from 1899 to 1912 curator of the Brussels Royal Museum. His expeditions to Syria and Turkey for astrological research led to discoveries of drawings and inscriptions on monuments and revealed a significant relation between the Mediterranean cult of Mithra and the Eastern practice of Zoroastrian Mazdaism. Among his chief writings are Textes et monuments figurés relatifs aux mystères de Mithra (1894–1901; “Texts and Monuments Relating to Mithraic Mysteries”); After Life in Roman Paganism (1922); Les Religions orientales dans le paganisme romain (1929; “Eastern Religions in Roman Paganism”); and L’Égypte des astrologues (1937; “Egypt of the Astrologers”).