Dionysus – Greek God Of Wine, Music, Ritual Madness And Ecstasy Was Born Twice

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Followers of the Greek party god Dionysus (in Greek: Dionysos) certainly knew how to enjoy themselves. The god Dionysus was very popular in ancient Greece and associated with wine, music, ritual madness, ecstasy, and theater.

Left: Head of Dionysus (2nd century AD), in Rome, Capitoline Museums. Image credit: Wikipedia, Dwailgt - CC BY-SA 4.0. Right: Bacchus by Caravaggio. Image credit: Public domain

Theater and wine played an important role in Greece, so, understandably, the cult of Dionysus spread across the country.

As previously discussed on Ancient Pages, the history of theater in Greece began with festivals held in honor of their gods. God Dionysus was celebrated with a festival called "City Dionysia." In the days of Solon, people often wandered around the streets during the celebration of Dionysus, the god of wine. The rude songs and dances greatly amused people; later, ancient Greeks regretted inventing theater.

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See also: 

War God Ares Was Brutal, Merciless And Disliked By Greeks But Popular In His Love Affairs

Troublemaker Eris: Greek Deity That Ignited Hatred Among All And Caused The War By Wreaking Destruction

Circe: Powerful Divine Greek Sorceress Who Mastered Healing, Miracles And Transformed People Into Animals

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