A remarkable set of Dionysian frescoes at Pompeii has inspired a new project exploring the ancient city’s ties to the Greek god of wine, theater, and ecstasy. The project, “Ecstatic Pompeii,” grew out of the 2025 discovery of a monumental wall painting in the House of the Thiasus in Regio IX.
The artwork is a megalography, a large-scale wall painting featuring figures close to life size. It depicts a thiasus, or procession associated with Dionysus. The scene includes Bacchae, also known as Maenads, and mythical satyrs. The painting survived for more than a century before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii in A.D. 79.
Frescoes depict followers of Dionysus
The fresco remains under conservation as specialists work to preserve the ancient artwork. Its figures belong to the mythological world surrounding Dionysus. Bacchae were female followers of the god. Greek and Roman artists often portrayed them dancing or taking part in ecstatic rites.
Satyrs were also closely associated with Dionysus. Ancient art frequently shows the mythical figures accompanying the god and his followers. They were linked to wine, music, and uninhibited behavior.
House of the Thiasus draws comparisons with Villa of the Mysteries
The House of the Thiasus fresco has drawn comparisons with the Villa of the Mysteries, one of Pompeii’s best-known archaeological sites.
The villa contains a celebrated series of monumental frescoes with Dionysian themes. Its paintings show nearly life-size figures taking part in a sequence of mysterious activities. Scholars have long debated whether the scenes represent initiation rites, marriage preparations, or another form of ritual.
The House of the Thiasus provides another major example of monumental Dionysian art from the ancient city. The two sites approach similar themes through different compositions and imagery. Other recent work in Regio IX has revealed more Dionysian imagery. Archaeologists have restored part of a painted ceiling from an elite banquet hall that depicts Dionysus and Ariadne.
Discovery inspires ‘Ecstatic Pompeii’
The House of the Thiasus discovery forms the basis of “Ecstatic Pompeii,” which examines how Dionysian imagery appeared across the ancient city.
The project connects figures from the House of the Thiasus frescoes with those at the Villa of the Mysteries and other sites across the wider Pompeii archaeological area.
Dionysus had a complex role in ancient Greek and Roman culture. He was the god of wine but was also closely connected to theater, transformation and ecstatic religious experience. His followers and mythical companions became common subjects in ancient art.
Project explores another side of ancient Pompeii
The project shifts attention from Pompeii’s destruction to the religious imagery and cultural traditions preserved across the ancient city.
Pompeii offers an unusually detailed record of Roman life because volcanic material preserved buildings, paintings, and everyday objects after the A.D. 79 eruption.
More than 2,000 years later, the Bacchae and satyrs preserved on Pompeii’s walls are helping researchers trace how the imagery of Dionysus appeared across the ancient city.
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