Paper short abstract:

Potters and painters of attic wine vessels and roman campana reliefs visualized the phallos as vital element of Dionysian celebrations. I aim to focus on aspects of instrumentalization and communication regarding these depictions as well as of the image-objects within the performed rituals.

Paper long abstract:

From archaic times onwards artificial phalloi were produced on the occasion of Dionysian celebrations. Within the processions they were visible objects that heralded the festivities and accompanied the advent of the god. Aristophanes emphasised the role of the phallos to establish and maintain the peaceful relationships between human communities and the divine. The characters of his play “Acharnians” celebrated the peace treaty with a vivid phallephoria. Through the intoned procession song, the Dionysian companion Phales (the enlivened phallos) was invited to join the drinking and feasting.

Additionally, within Graeco-Roman imagery the autonomous phallos was often visualized as specific (f)actor of Dionysian rituals. Complemented by satyrs and maenads these festive acts were placed in the divine realm. In archaic and early classical times, the scenes were ecstatic and the phallos repeatedly appeared as enlivened creature. Whereas the images of late republican and early imperial times visualized the phallos as relatively small object with no obvious signs of enlivenment. By contrasting scenes of phallephoria and the unveiling of the phallos on attic vase paintings and the roman campana reliefs, I intend to focus on the imaginations and discourse of the potters and painters. They reflected on and communicated essential elements of some Dionysian celebrations, which they also very likely attended. Moreover, they produced the wine vessels and terracotta reliefs to be viewed and used within Dionysian contexts. Wine consumption played a major part in the celebrations and the vessels were important tools through which the Dionysian power was channelled. The reliefs on the other hand were most likely made to decorate the architecture of sanctuaries. Both image-objects could enhance the atmosphere during the celebrations and acted as visible reminder of performed rituals for both the mortal community and the divine addressees.