Room Of The Mysteries
Introduction
At its core, history is conjecture. While it is possible to seek out and understand factual events, discerning the true nature of those events is often impossible. However, artifacts found at archaeological sites can aid in illustrating the cultural context of ancient civilizations, allowing historians to better speculate about the people who lived during that age. Pompeii and Herculaneum provide historians such an opportunity because they were almost perfectly preserved following the devastation of Vesuvius. Although some artifacts did perish in the fires and aftermath, many of the houses, villas, and public buildings still stand. These buildings serve as a time capsule that augments an understanding of daily practices and ancient …show more content…
2) through the use of fourth style techniques. While there are multiple theories that attempt to explain this connection, the prevailing theory is the fresco art in the Room of the Mysteries depicts the initiation ceremony for a woman in a Dionysiac mystery cult who is preparing for a mystical marriage to the god himself. This reading of the fresco is compelling because in the center of the fresco, which would be the back wall of the room, there is a man reclining on the lap of a woman. He is drunk, carries a thyrsus, and wears an ivy wreath on his head (fig.3). These are all clues that the man is Dionysus due to the fact that these symbols are included whenever he is present in a work of art or sculpture. Furthermore, there is support for this theory because the fresco follows a certain woman as she progresses through a ritual of sorts. In the beginning, she is clothed in what appears to be a veil that was typically worn by brides. The inclusion of this shows that she is a bride and is going through rituals before her wedding to another mortal or is going through a sort of initiation before her mystical marriage to the god Dionysus. Although not much is known about the Dionysiac mystery cult, there is record that mystical marriages occurred in Athens and may have also occurred in other regions. In addition to the recurring presence of a bride figure, there are also other symbols included in the fresco that are related to the mystery cult of
At its core, history is conjecture. While it is possible to seek out and understand factual events, discerning the true nature of those events is often impossible. However, artifacts found at archaeological sites can aid in illustrating the cultural context of ancient civilizations, allowing historians to better speculate about the people who lived during that age. Pompeii and Herculaneum provide historians such an opportunity because they were almost perfectly preserved following the devastation of Vesuvius. Although some artifacts did perish in the fires and aftermath, many of the houses, villas, and public buildings still stand. These buildings serve as a time capsule that augments an understanding of daily practices and ancient …show more content…
2) through the use of fourth style techniques. While there are multiple theories that attempt to explain this connection, the prevailing theory is the fresco art in the Room of the Mysteries depicts the initiation ceremony for a woman in a Dionysiac mystery cult who is preparing for a mystical marriage to the god himself. This reading of the fresco is compelling because in the center of the fresco, which would be the back wall of the room, there is a man reclining on the lap of a woman. He is drunk, carries a thyrsus, and wears an ivy wreath on his head (fig.3). These are all clues that the man is Dionysus due to the fact that these symbols are included whenever he is present in a work of art or sculpture. Furthermore, there is support for this theory because the fresco follows a certain woman as she progresses through a ritual of sorts. In the beginning, she is clothed in what appears to be a veil that was typically worn by brides. The inclusion of this shows that she is a bride and is going through rituals before her wedding to another mortal or is going through a sort of initiation before her mystical marriage to the god Dionysus. Although not much is known about the Dionysiac mystery cult, there is record that mystical marriages occurred in Athens and may have also occurred in other regions. In addition to the recurring presence of a bride figure, there are also other symbols included in the fresco that are related to the mystery cult of