23/11/2007
Sanctuary of Dionysus (Drama)

Despoina Skoulariki
Source: C.E.T.I.
© Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace

A votive inscription that bear witness to the existence of a sanctuary dedicated to Dionysus was found in the ancient settlement of Drama, though its exact location still remains unknown. The sanctuary dates to the late 4th century BC and, according to testimony, it persisted throughout the Hellenistic (320-30 BC) and Roman (30 BC-324 AD) times.

Among the finds, the marble bust of the god is of great interest. The god is depicted in the age of maturity, dressed in sheepskin and bearing a strip and a wreath of ivy and vine branches on his head. This particular representation of the standing bearded Dionysus, a little shorter than in natural size, alludes to a worship statue of the time of the Antonines (mid- 2nd century AD), probably in imitation of a classical example of the early 5th century BC.

This find in the city of Drama probably comes from a local workshop of the wider area. The widespread worship of the god in this area until the late Roman times, when the god was identified with the Roman god “Liber Pater”, elevated Dionysus to a distinguished local deity.




Bust of Dionysus, main view
(Photo: Trakosopoulou - Salakidou)
Bust of Dionysus, back view
(Photo: Trakosopoulou - Salakidou)

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