Dionysus Initiation Rites Cult Of Pompeii

Function/Symbolism
The “Initiation Rites Cult of Bacchus” was used to communicate the rites of passage for the women of Pompeii. Much like the Greek women, Dionysus was the one of the most important and popular gods for Roman women. He was the source of both their sensual and their spiritual hopes (Art and Archaeology). This painting may have been viewed as a sacred item because it represented the ritualistic ceremony centered on a deity that prepared girls for the psychological transition to life as married women (Art and Archaeology). The room in the villa may have been a shrine or meeting place for this deity.

The “Queen Nefertari Offering to Isis” tomb was used to tell the story of the queen's life and the journey of her death. The queen
Class also played a role in Egyptian art as slaves were usually depicted in a naked manner, while the wealthy or upper class was depicted fully clothed.

Much like the Romans, the Egyptians took great pleasure in their appearances and were equally concerned with how they were depicted in art. The desire for perfection resonated far beyond art and into their religious beliefs. Ancient religions of Rome and Egypt shared a lot of commonality such as polytheistic, which basically means that they both worshiped many gods, rather than one. In both cultures, religion was seen as an intricate, yet important part of life. Although the Romans and the Egyptians worshiped different gods and told different stories about their gods, they both believed that religion did not end with their physical deaths.

This brings us to our final exhibit, ladies and gentlemen welcome to the sarcophaguses of ancient Rome and Egypt.

To your left we have the “Indian Triumph of Dionysus’ from ancient Rome and to the right we have the “Inner Coffin from Tutankhamun’s Sarcophagus”, which is from ancient
It was also a period of religious change. King Tutankhamun brought about the return of traditional religious practices such as the worship of Amun and polytheistic worship; which meant Egyptian could choose who they wanted to worship. The transition back to polytheism once again had a place in art and art had a place in polytheism. This is noted from the multiple diets on Tutankhamun’s sarcophagi.
Much like the Egyptian’s class had a big impact on the construction of Rome’s citizen’s sarcophagi. The distinction arouse between Rome’s classes. The wealthier you were, the more elaborate and stylized your resting place. Which is not uncommon to today’s culture.

As we conclude our tour, on behalf of the Carte’ Blanche museum, thank you for visiting us. It has been a true pleasure viewing the exhibits with you, please feel free to come and visit again. The museum receives new pieces of art every three months, so there is always something new to see and learn about. As we say in Egyptian ila al’likaa' (pronounced il-lah-lik-or) and in Latin valete! Goodbye to you