Dionysian Imagery in Fifth-century Athens

Book excerpt: This is an extensive study of Dionysian imagery found primarily in scenes on red-figure vases of the fifth-century BC but also in the architectural sculpture, coins, and theatre of the same period. Thomas Carpenter seeks to define a methodology for using this imagery as evidence for cultural and religious activity, and challenges some commonly-held views about the meaning of Dionysian iconography, at the same time pointing to problems inherent in the evidence under scrutiny.