God Dionysos riding on a panther. Floor mosaic. Hellenistic Period, ca. 120—80 BC. Delos, Greece, House of the Masks.
God Dionysos riding on a panther. Floor mosaic. Hellenistic Period, ca. 120—80 BC. Delos, Greece, House of the Masks. Dionysus, or Bacchus, was regarded by Greeks and Romans alike as the god of wine and vineyards. In his more extended meaning he represents the blessings of the autumn. It is he who causes the fruits to ripen for the use of man ; it is likewise he who dispenses to mankind all the advantages of civilization and refinement, and of well-ordered political affairs. Thebes was described as the birthplace of the god. His mother was Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, whom Zeus, the great god of heaven, honored with his love. Dionysus, after growing up amidst the solitude of the forest and strengthening himself by his contests with its wild beasts, at length planted the vine. Both the god and his attendants soon became intoxicated with its juice ; after which, crowned with wreaths of laurel and ivy, and accompanied by a crowd of nymphs, satyrs, and fauns, he ranged the woods,...