“The large oecus (5) next to the nuptial bedchamber (4) contains the famous frieze representing the “mysteries” of the Dionysus cult that give the villa its name. The paintings here represent the initiation of a young woman into the mysteries...
Fresco detail, initiate hiding in the lap of the woman who accompanies her in the various phases of the rite. "[…] it still remains uncertain whether the subject is a woman's initiation into an Orphic or Dionysian mystery cult or rather the...
“The sanctuary of the goddess Demeter and her daughter Kore at Eleusis, as it might have appeared in the fifth century BC. The Telesterium, the Great Hall of the Mysteries, is in the centre [center]. The procession entered by the gate at the top...
"The original building dates to the second century B.C., but it was renovated and enlarged many times, gradually transforming from a farmhouse into a true suburban villa. The period of its greatest splendor, however, began with the founding of...
“Moving from the atrium to the exedra, one passes through a tablinum or open living room (2), decorated with Egyptian motifs. They were executed with a miniaturist’s precision on a black wall polished to a mirrorlike shine. It is one of the...
