 The near-total lack of written descriptions or scripture necessitates a reconstruction of beliefs and practices from the archaeological evidence, such as that found in Mithraic temples (in modern times called "mithraea"), which were real or artificial "caves" representing the cosmos.Until the 1970s most scholars followed Franz Cumont in identifying Mithras as a continuation of the Persian god Mithra.Cumont's continuity hypothesis, and his concomitant theory that the astrological component was a late and unimportant accretion, is no longer followed.