Pompeii Archeologists Uncover Massive Frieze Portraying Worship of Wine God

After being trapped beneath volcanic ash for nearly two millennia, a series of massive frescoes was recently uncovered by a team of archeologists in Pompeii. Spanning three walls of a large banquet hall, the frescoes portray the followers of Dionysus — the Greek god of wine, fruit, fertility, and ecstasy — engaged in a cult ceremony.

The banquet hall is a fairly recent discovery in itself, having been unearthed as a part of the newly excavated House of Thiasus. The banquet hall and the frescoes are said to date back to 40-30 BCE, over 100 years before the city of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. According to the archeologists, the paintings provide a glimpse into the city’s ancient religious practices.

In order to join the cult of Dionysus — who was known as Bacchus in Ancient Rome — initiates were required to participate in confidential rituals, one of which is illustrated in the fresco. The artwork depicts a parade of the god’s female followers, known as bacchantes, marching with swords in hand and wearing slaughtered animals draped across their bodies. Joined by flute-playing and wine-drinking satyrs, the women are all dancing while an elegantly dressed, torch-wielding woman in the center awaits her initiation.

While it’s not the first large-scale fresco depicting a Dionysian ritual to be unearthed in Pompeii, it marks the first discovery of its kind in over a century. The last time a painting of this size was uncovered was back in 1909 when archeologists excavated the Villa of the Mysteries.

“In 100 years’ time, today will be remembered as historic,” Italian culture minister Alessandro Guili told reporters last week. “Alongside the Villa of the Mysteries, this fresco forms an unparalleled testament to the lesser-known aspects of ancient Mediterranean life.”

The women painted in the recently unearthed fresco are depicted as both dancers and hunters, which experts say explores the duality of women and of Dionysian worship. As director of the archeological park Gabriel Zuchtriegel explained to the London Times, “It’s the double function of death and rebirth. Dionysus dies and is reborn. Through the initiation to the cult, you are born again.”

Unfortunately, we may never know what particular ritual was being performed in the fresco. Not only was the cult of Dionysus notoriously secretive, but acts of this sort were at risk of going extinct by 186 BCE as Roman authorities attempted to abolish all bacchanalian rituals over concerns about their wild and promiscuous nature. However, the presence of these frescoes at both the House of Thiasus and the Villa of the Mysteries suggests they likely continued in secret.

For those who wish to see the artwork in person, the Dionysiac scene is on display as a part of excavation tours at the House of Thiasus in Pompeii.

The article Pompeii Archeologists Uncover Massive Frieze Portraying Worship of Wine God appeared first on VinePair.