While visiting the major antiquity museums of Rome I was naïve to think that finding handfuls of Dionysian sarcophagi would be easy. In the end I found every medium but the sarcophagi. I came to the hopeful conclusion that the Vatican must be hoarding all of them. When I finally made it to the Vatican Museums however, I could not have estimated just how many of the sarcophagi they had. I was used to looking at 3-5 sarcophagi in one museum, the Vatican, on the other hand, had approximately 20 well in tact Dionysian sarcophagi. For the most part, however, they were neither labeled nor dated (although any early Christian sarcophagus had more than enough information in the description, but I don’t hold grudges) I suppose I must be a bit more positive, I did find nearly 20 more sarcophagi than I expected, and while the Vatican may not be interested in the details of these pieces, they did not destroy them altogether. Luckily, a few of the Early-Christian sarcophagi displayed pastoral scenes linking to Dionysus.
1.) Sarcophagus with “grand pastoral” themes and polychrome decorations. Late 3rd-early 4 C AD. Found on the Massimo estate at the Tor Sapienza, Via Prenestira.
Left- Shepard with a ram on his shoulders and dog at his feet. Shepard/bucolic scene follows with sheep, rams, goats resting/fighting/playing. Shepard being pushed by 2 oxen with WINE SKIN. Orans figure to the right. (not christian)
Front-Hunters and dogs during hare hunt. Also winged cupids picking flowers next to portrait of deceased.
2.) Sarcophagus with Bucolic Scenes and 3 Sheperds. 370-380 AD.
Front- 3 sheperds with sheep on their shoulders standing on decorated pedestals. (side ones with masks, center with griffons and tripod) Between there is a large vineyard with winged cupids harvesting grapes. On left cupid figure milks a goat and one holds a lamb. On the right there is a grape-pressing scene as Pysche gives grapes to a genius.
Left- above-genii harvesting grapes in autumn, below-works in winter (cart and oxen)
Right- above-summer works (genii with sheaves) and olive picking (winter) below-genii of 4 seasons.
Back-grid pattern.
3.) Sarcofogo: Il trionfo di Bacco Reduce dalle Indie.
Not dated. Wild animals are in the center (lions, elephants, goats, etc.) probably Bacchus on an elephant and teacher Silenus in the center. They are surrounded by dancing Maenads, winged cupids, and Satyrs.
Left- dancing woman with a staff, naked man, and an animal.
Right-same figures as left with a tree in the middle.
Back-blank with fluting, blank square probably for an inscription.
4.) Small Sarcophagus with Bacchic Scene.
Front-Chubby cupid figures and satrys holding up a chubby Bacchus. Dancing Maenads on their sides. Shepard is wrestling a goat on the right and an old bearded man is standing on a plat-form, holding a staff on the right side.
Griffon on the left and right sides of sarcophagus.
5.) Sarcophagus with Bacchus and Ariadne.
2 men holding blank circle (probably for patron’s face) in center with 2 wild cats.
Below two Maenads bordering center. 2 Satyrs playing instruments bordering Maenads, both have winged cupids dancing on their backs (both holding theatrical masks)
Right- Ariadne on cart being driven by a Satyr.
Left-Dionysus on cart.
On top- reclining symposium, Dionysus and Ariadne in center. Cupids, women, Silenus, centaurs, reclining. To left boy sarting a fire. Faces border top corners.
Left side- centaur carrying a basket
Right side- perhaps Dionysus and Ariadne, Dionysus holding staff, feeding a wild animal.
6.) Sarcophagus with Dionysian Iconography.
Pair of lion heads in center. Tigers below with cupids riding them. Man is holding a wine jug, staff, and lion skin in center with an approaching woman. (Dionysus and Ariadne?) Dancing woman with grape vines in hair on the side, holding a staff. Theatrical masks on the left side with dancing Maenad and naked man.
Right side-another man with a staff and animal skin and a dancing woman.
7.) Sarcophagus with Dionysus
In the center- Dionysus is being held up by a Maenad (maybe Ariadne) and a naked man with a staff and animal skin. Leopard on the bottom with a snake inside a basket. To the left a dancing Maenad, to the right maybe Dionysus. (Man with a staff and leopard skin, vine across his chest, panther on bottom, with baby cupid on the right shoulder.
Right-engraved decoration, also on left side.
8.)Two tops of sarcophagi with reclining Dionysus. The first one shows him bearded with grape vines in hair. The second is similar to the 1st, only bigger and he is holding a wine jug.
9.) Sarcophagus with Chubby Cupids.
A series of chubby cupids lined up in a row. A drunk man is being held up in the center (probably Bacchus) Panther is at the bottom with cupids playing a musical instrument.
The top may not be related to this sarcophagus but it is a sleeping woman holding a snake. (maybe Ariadne?)
10.) Sarcophagus with Bacchus and Ariadne. Ariadne is sleeping to the center/left, Bacchus has grape vines in his hair, and is approaching her. Satyrs, Cupids, Maenads encompass the rest of the sarcophagus. Silenus is holding a staff at Bacchus’ side. To the right is a man with a lion/lepard skin over his shoulder. To the far right a woman is serving fruit, man pouring wine in a child’s mouth. Bearded cloak-figure to the far right, seen in other Dionysian Sarcophagi. Griffon on both right and left sides.
11.) Sarcophagus with a Dionysian scene. 240-250 AD. Dionysus and Ariadne are in the center watching Pan and other Satyrs pressing grapes. To the left and right there is a country setting. Two figures are shown in caves surrounded by satyrs and maenads. Described as being the roman Dionysus and Ariadne (Libero and Libera)
12.) Sarcophagus of Helena (Constantine’s daughter) Cupids and grapevines take up the entire sarcophagus. Peacocks are on the bottom, as well as sheep, and cupids pressing grapes.
13.) Funerary altar with baby Dionysus, Silenus, and Maenads.
14.) Sarcophagus with Dionysus.
Right side- Satyr and Maenad dancing. Dionysus in center with satyrs, Ariadne is at his side sleeping. Silenus is to his right. Animals, Maenads, and Satyrs throughout the sarcophagus. On the top Pan, Silenus, Ariadne, and Dionysus are reclining with cupid figures.
Left side-figure with instrument, maybe Pan?
15.) Sarcophagus with Indian Triumph.
Ariadne and Bacchus are reclining on a man as a Maenad and a Cupid approach. Ariadne is on a platform being carried by a cupid to Dionysus. Horses are carrying a cart with a cupid in it. Winged female figure is next to a sitting man. Chubby cupids are on the border.
Right side- sitting defeated-looking man with animals.
Left side- man sitting under a tree with a goat.
2.) Panel from a mosaic pavement: The god of wine, Dionysus, dances with a panther. 4th C AD, Rome. Found in the Villa of Halicarnassus, Southwest Asia Minor. Display of Dionysus with grape vines in hair dancing nude with a leopard.
3.) Panel from a painted wall. Wine god, Bacchus and his companion Silenus. Rome, 30 BC. From Villa at Bosoreale, near Pompei. Bacchus is pouring wine to a panther, hardly clothed, holding a spear, has long feminine hair and grapes at his side. Silenus is holding an instrument, and also hardly clothed.
4.) Bronze statuette of infant Bacchus. Roman, 50-100 AD, found in Naples, head and leopard skin made separately.
5.) Wall painting with followers of Bacchus from tomb in Villa Pamphili, Rome, around 50 BC.
This is a part of a series of paintings with followers of the wine-god. In the middle the cult is dancing around Bacchus as clothed people stare in shock.
6.) Terracotta relief: Satyr and Maenad with the infant Bacchus. Rome, around 20 BC- AD 50. Bacchus is in a liknon (basket)
7.) Terracotta relief: Bacchus with a satyr, Roman (same as above) the Satyr carries a wine amphora on his shoulder and an invented torch, nude Bacchus has a staff, cape, and vines in his hair.
8.) Marble relief of a maenad and 2 satyr in a Dionysiac procession. Roman, about 100 AD. From the Villa Quintiliana on the Appian Way, south of Rome. 2 satyrs, and a female follower, barely clothed, on satyr is holding a thyros (Dionysus’ staff) the other two followers are playing instruments. The satyrs are clothed in leopard skin. The description of this relief said they were two satyr, but one seems more like Dionysus, because he is holding a staff and has a leopard at his side. The description also stated that this relief was made in the Roman period but the figures derive from attic prototypes of the 4th C. BC.
9.) Statue of Dionysus wearing an ivy wreath. Roman copy, about 40-60 AD, of Greek original. (350-325 BC) from Posilippo, near Naples. This statue is based on the same copy from the National Museum of Rome.
Sardanapolos was a mythical Assyrian king notorious for decadent behavior, this is an archaic representation of the god.
I found more representations of baby Dionysus in the British museum than I have in any of the rest. This was an interesting theme to follow, from the representation of the baby sarcophagus to the marble relief of Bacchus’ infancy, it gave me a new theme to follow. There were not as many clear representation’s of Ariadne, and more of Dionysus’ followers, and the cult itself, probably because many of the artifacts were found near Pompei. The dates of these works were a bit earlier than others I have found as well. Another clear trend within these works is the Asiatic influence, once again the representation of the Sardanapolos Dionysius is shown, as well as the mosaic taken from Asia Minor.
