Roman Marble Relief of a Maenad Ca. 1st - 2nd century AD. Height: 15 1/2 in. (39.5 cm) This maenad gently holds a thyrsos between her two fingers as her chiton sensually falls from her shoulder. Maenads (in Greek, "the raving ones") were the frenzied female attendants and worshippers of Bacchus (Greek: Dionysus) who entered into a state of ecstasy through indulgence in dancing and drinking. This artist emphasizes the maenad's sexuality through her contrapposto stance, her falling garment, and her gentle grasp on the thyrsos. In addition to their indulgence in pleasure, maenads were also violent while in their possessed state. Euripides most famously showcases this violence in his tragedy The Bacchae where King Pentheus is savagely torn apart by maenads led by his mother. #art #antiquites #sculpture #roman #romanart #romanartifacts #stone #ancient #ancientrome #history #archeology #darkacademia #lightacademia