Fresco of Dionysus discovered in Pompeii reveals ancient Bacchic rituals

A fresco depicting Dionysus, the god of wine, has been discovered in Pompeii, the ancient city buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD. This artwork, known as a 'megalography,' illustrates a Dionysiac procession featuring the god's followers, the bacchantes and satyrs. The newly excavated site, named 'Casa del Tiaso' or House of Thiasus, is located in Insula 10 of Region IX, central Pompeii. The fresco vividly captures the revelry of hunting, dancing, and music. Bacchantes are shown carrying slaughtered goats or holding their entrails. Wine is central to these rituals, serving as a libation to Dionysus, also called Bacchus by the Romans, highlighting the religious aspect of the scene.

Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, co-authored an initial study on this discovery. He referenced Euripides' play, The Bacchae, as a possible inspiration for the fresco, describing it as a metaphor for an unrestrained, ecstatic life. Zuchtriegel noted that the bacchantes symbolize the wild, untamed side of women, paralleling the effects of wine. The Bacchae was performed in Athens in 405 BC during the Festival Dionysia, a five-day event seen as both a civic and religious duty. The ancient Athenian audience experienced ritual madness and religious ecstasy, becoming part of the performance. This theatrical element was known to the Romans and is depicted in the fresco through the euphoria of Dionysus's followers, who act as the chorus.

Zuchtriegel highlighted the risk for women in the Dionysiac procession, as their actions and ritual madness could consume them. He contrasted these women with the 'nice' woman who emulates Venus, the goddess of love and marriage. In The Bacchae, women are shown abandoning their husbands and succumbing to frenzy. In 2017, a similar Bacchanalian mosaic was found in the upper Rhône region of France, depicting a comparable procession.