Newly discovered frescoes unearthed at Pompeii reveal glimpses of a wine - fuel cult that embraced the " risky , untamable side of women " .
The Pompeii Archaeological Park recently announced the find of a large - scale frieze that spread over three walls of a feast hall dated to 40 - 30 BCE . It depicts the initiation rites for a cult dedicated to Dionysus , the ancient Greek divinity associated with wine , celebration , merriment , and many form of madness .
True to thespirit of this god , the scene is a whirlwind of revelry and havoc .
A close-up of the newly discovered friezes at Pompeii.Image courtesy of Pompeii Archaeological Park
The picture captures a unwarranted forward motion of Dionysus in a intense dance of exaltation and ritual . distaff following of the god ( called bacchantes ) are pictured dancing alongside hunter who acquit massacre goats on their shoulders and clutch blade and creature entrails in their hand . A mythical half - man , half - animate being with pointed ears ( cry satyr ) act the champagne flute , while another pours a flow of wine over his shoulder into another cupful .
At the heart of the scene , a deadly adult female stands next to an of age follower of Dionysus holding a torch , as if she is about to be initiated into the secret of Dionysus , the god who dies and is born-again , promising the same to his lover .
“ [ It ’s ] a metaphor for a wild , rapt life , aim at ‘ something different , great and seeable ’ , as the Greek chorus says in Euripides ’ schoolbook . For the ancients , the bacchae verbalize the baseless and untamable side of char ; the woman who desert her tyke , her home and the city , who leaves the male parliamentary law , to dance freely , go track down and eat naked heart in the mount and woods , ” Gabriel Zuchtriegel , the conductor of Pompeii Archaeological Park , say in the statement sent to IFLScience .
.jpg)
Not bad for 2,000 years old: Another close-up of the newly discovered friezes at Pompeii.Image courtesy of Pompeii Archaeological Park
“ In short , the opposite of the ‘ pretty ’ adult female , who emulates Venus , goddess of love and marriage , the womanhood who looks at herself in the mirror , who ‘ makes herself beautiful ’ , ” he added .
While the frieze is plenteous in mythological meaning and historic implication , the archeologist notice that the painting also served a rather sameness role . Just like life in the 21st hundred , thing were not always deep , ponderous , and meaningful .
“ They are frescoes with a profoundly religious meaning , but here they had the subprogram of adorning outer space for banquets and company … a bit like when we find a transcript of Michelangelo ’s existence of Adam on the wall of an Italian restaurant in New York , to make a bit of atmosphere , ” explained Zuchtriegel .
“ Behind these tremendous paintings , with their swordplay with trick and realism , we can see the signs of a religious crisis that was affecting the ancient world , but we can also grasp the greatness of a rite that date stamp back to an archaic globe , at least until the second millenary BCE , to the Dionysus of the Mycenaean and Cretan peoples , who was also bid Zagreus , lord of unwarranted animals , ” he continue .
Pompeii was destruct in 79 CE when the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius break open , kill 1000 of peoplein the urban center and nearby settlements ofHerculaneum , Oplontis , and Stabiae . Though ruinous , the unique condition of the eruption help to preserve the ancient settlements for centuries , establish advanced researchers an extraordinarily light windowpane into everyday biography in ancient Rome .
As these new discovered friezes further highlight , Pompeiiwas anything but ho-hum – it was a buzzing city , alive with humans , self-indulgence , and a fascination with the most sordid of life ’s pleasure .
