#thiasos

The "Dionysian fresco,"

Dubbed the "house of Thiasos" by archaeologists, was unearthed from a banquet hall amid excavations to Insula 10 Regio IX in Pompeii.

This bronze appliqué was unearthed during excavations at a site known as Vani, which once served as the cultural, religious, and administrative center for the Kingdom of Colchis (located in what is now Georgia). Several other appliqués were found along with this one; they were fixed to a large vessel depicting the Greek god of wine-making, Dionysus, accompanied by Pan, Ariadne, and three maenads.

Above: appliqué depicting the face of Pan

This excerpt describes the vessel and its decorations:

This vessel was ornamented with three figurines of eagles with outstretched wings and six heads in high relief (10 to 12cm in height) of the divine companions of Dionysus, the god of wine-making -- of bearded Pan, young Satyr, Ariadne, and the beautiful Menads, all executed with great artistic skill in the so-called Pergamum style.

Above: another view of Pan's face

A statue of the goddess Nike also stands atop the vessel:

The vessel is crowned with an 18-centimetre-high figurine of Nike, the winged goddess of Victory, coming down from heaven in headlong flight. The anonymous Greek author brilliantly expressed swift movement: the folds of the tunic fly open revealing a divine leg impetuously striding forward.

Above: figurine of the goddess Nike

I've been using the photo of that satyr appliqué as my avatar for the last three years, so I figured it was finally time to write an actual post about it.

Several other artifacts from ancient Georgia have also been featured on my blog, including a gold necklace with a bunch of turtle pendants, a gold headdress ornament, a lavishly-decorated necklace made nearly 2,000 years ago, an ancient writing kit that depicts the Greek muses, and a group of figurines that were buried in miniature "graves" beneath the temples at Vani.

Sources & More Info:

Ancient Civilizations of East and West: Transcaucasia in Antiquity

The Past: Georgia's Treasures: from the Land of the Golden Fleece

National Geographic: Georgia, the Cradle of Viticulture

Dionysian Thiasos - Mykonos P.

Krater bell with continuous frieze depicting a Dionysian thiasos. Dionysus portrayed among his followers is moving to the right. He holds a vine branch, and his right hand is handing out a kantharos toward the maenad behind him. The maenad with a thyrsus in her left hand, is pouring wine to the god from an oinochoe. Maenads and satyrs dancing, some with torches, one playing aulos complete the scene.

Made in Athens

Attic red figured krater bell

Attributed to The Mykonos Painter

About 500-450 BC

From Spina Necropolis, Ferrara

Ferrara, Archaeological Museum

VOM WESEN DER STIFTER

Gemeinschaft nicht aus Zweck, sondern aus Glut. Sappho auf Lesbos, George im Geheimen Deutschland: Zwei Pole einer einzigen, ewigen Achse. Hier wird das Wort zur Einweihung und die Nähe zur Verwandlung. Nicht der einzelne Geist zählt, sondern der Raum, den die Stimme des Stifters aufspannt. Schönheit als Schicksal. Form als Gesetz. Der Kreis als Welt.

In der Gedankenwelt des George-Kreises wurde Sappho nicht bloß als historische Dichterin, sondern als die Zehnte Muse und als mythisches Urbild weiblicher Geistigkeit verehrt. Sie galt als die einzige Frau, die das dionysische Feuer mit der apollinischen Strenge der Form so vollkommen vereinte, dass sie zur Gesetzgeberin einer ganzen Lebensform wurde. Für den Kreis war sie die Rechtfertigung dafür, dass Schönheit und Eros die eigentlichen Fundamente einer geistigen Gemeinschaft bilden können. In ihrer Gestalt sah man das zeitlose Vorbild für jene „Erziehung zur Form“, die George später für seinen eigenen Bund beanspruchte. Damit wurde Sappho zur geheimen Schutzpatronin eines Lebensgefühls, in dem Kunst und Existenz untrennbar miteinander verschmelzen.

[[just to be clear: please do not use this or a copy of this without my permission]]