Here you see one of the finest sarcophagi of all time. Carved out of marble in the late second-century CE, the panel shown here despicts the God of wine, Dionysius, approaching the comatose maiden Ariadne, who lies in the lap of the God of death (Thanatos). The close arrangement and true-to-life proportions of the figures convey a sense of movement, as our eyes find nowhere to rest in the frieze. In the late Roman Empire, the popular cult of Dionysius became associated with immortality– myths like the one shown here highlighted the deity’s role in brining the dead back to life. Like the grapes that Dionysius/Bacchus/Liber surrounded himself with, the cult offered adherents rebirth. In fact, this faith tradition eventually became one of the most important competitors with the emerging religion of Christianity . . . Some aristocrats might have heard about a youthful God involved with resurrection and ritual wine-drinking, and even confused the two.
Source(s): Sarcophagus from the Walter’s Art Gallery.
