Blessed is he who, being fortunate and knowing the rites of the gods, keeps his life pure and has his soul initiated into the Bacchic revels, dancing in inspired frenzy over the mountains with holy purifications, and who, revering the mysteries of great mother Kybele, brandishing the thyrsos, garlanded with ivy, serves Dionysus."

In addition, the decor of a Roman well of the first century (Putéal de la Moncloa) preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain evokes the presence of Moirai. [33] As it seems to owe much to the Parthenon pediment, these deities could also attend the birth of Athena. [30] On the right side, two seated women carry children: west Q holds two babies (west P and R), it could be Orithyia the daughter of Erechtheus, carrying the two sons she had of Boreas Calais and Zetes West T has an older child on the knees (west S). The western U and V statues are highly damaged and fragmentary but do not appear to form a group. [25] [26] On the left side were various characters from the Attic mythology whose identifications are discussed. The general theme of the pediment being a purely local myth, it is often surmised that Athenian heroes should be represented. The western figures D, E and F have disappeared. The west group B and C is very damaged. Snake fragments (a snake or the tail of the male figure) suggest that it could be Cecrops and his daughter Pandrosus. [8] [13] [21] [24] The first day was reserved for the procession from the Keramaikos, up through Athens to the Sanctuary of Dionysus on the southern slop of the Acropolis. As I’ve previously stated Phalloi, baskets, water, wine and the wooden statue of Dionysus Eleuthereus were all carried in this procession. Upon reaching the agora, attendees would begin the 'kōmos' dance. This was designed to work the drunken revellers up in to a frenzy, or 'ecstasis' before the festivities. Following this, the crowd would move through the street of tripods, which displayed the awarded monuments to previous funders of winning playwrights. The procession ended at the temple of Dionysus next to the theatre where bulls were sacrificed, and a feast was held for everyone in Athens. Throughout the feast and processions would have been musicians and poets performing their various arts for the attendees Stewart, Andrew F. (2018). “Classical Sculpture from the Athenian Agora, Part 1: The Pediments and Akroteria of the Hephaisteion.” Hesperia 87 (4):681–741.Perseus Digital Library 4.0, ed. G.R. Crane. Athens, Theatre of Dionysos. Available at: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/artifact?name=Athens%2C+Theater+of+Dionysos&object=Building. Accessed 28th December 2014

Zancani, D. 1924. "Della testa di Dionysos del museo capitolino e del tipo statuario al quale appartiene." Bullettino della Commissione archeologica Comunale di Roma, 52: pp. 65–90, pl. 3. Dionysus’ association with wine embodies this paradox. Wine is a delicious beverage with medicinal properties, but it also intoxicates. It brings liberation and ecstasy, yet, like any initiatory experience, it also introduced the risks of losing hold of identity and control. Births and deaths East Pediment [ edit ] Proposed reconstruction of the east pediment in the Acropolis Museum, Athens. Palagia, Olga (2005). "Fire from Heaven: Pediments and Akroteria of the Parthenon". In Neils, Jenifer (ed.). The Parthenon: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press.

Deep rectangular grooves at the corners of pediments could indicate the presence in these places of a lift-type mechanism for mounting statues. [3] Triglyphs and metopes on the west pediment Theatre as we would recognise it was thought to have originated around the time of Thespis, around 530 BC. According to ancient sources such as Aristotle, he was the first person to appear as an 'actor' on stage, and communicate with his chorus in character. The popularisation of acting competitions around this period probably prompted the move from performances in the Agora, to a more permanent area that we now know as Dionysus' sanctuary. The relationship between Dionysus and literature strengthened the god's association with the area, prompting the growth of the Dionysia in honour of him. The messenger of the gods was also a friend to mankind and, by relaying divine messages to mortals, he became the highest-ranking being that they would ever encounter on their level of existence. Mortals could relate to him much more than to the fearsome Zeus. The composition of this pediment is inspired by that of the eastern pediment of Olympia. The idea of simple "spectator" statues sitting on the exteriors and then of river gods was also borrowed from the sanctuary in the Peloponnese. [11] The western statues B, C, L, Q and perhaps W have been copied and adapted to adorn one of the pediments of the temple of Eleusis (smaller than that of the Parthenon), completed in the second century and representing the abduction of Persephone. [21]

Cistophorus Κιστοφόρος ("basket-bearer, ivy-bearer"), Alludes To baskets being sacred to the god. [38] [54] This is possibly a votive mask,” Iren tells the Anadolu Agency. “More information will become available over time with more research.”Omadios ("flesh-eater"), Eusebius writes in Preparation for the Gospel that, Euelpis of He added that “during past digs in Aizanoi, finds related to Hygieia were also found. This situation makes us think that there may have been some construction and buildings related to the health cult in Aizanoi during the Roman era.” Greek gods in the ancient city of Aizanoi Holtzmann, Bernard (2003). L'Acropole d'Athènes: Monuments, cultes et histoire du sanctuaire d'Athéna Polias. Paris: Picard. The west group B and C is very damaged because it remained on the Parthenon until 1977, as was the western female figure W. The western group B and C (probably Cecrops and Pandrose) was not swept away by the agents of Lord Elgin at the beginning of the nineteenth century because they believed that it was a repair of the first centuries of our era that had replaced the original group by a statue tribute to the emperor Hadrian and his wife Sabine. This erroneous assumption was made at the end of the seventeenth century in Jacob Spon's (1678) and George Wheler (1682). [13] [24] [48] travel narratives. The head of the horse of Helios' chariot, east C, was removed from the Parthenon in 1988. [49] Conservation [ edit ]