Dionysian procession

Unknown (Byzantine)

Item type:

mosaic

Date of creation:

4th century

Technique / Medium:

mosaic

Place of creation:

Sheikh Zuweid (Miṣr) [الشيخ زويد]

Additional titles

Description

On the top register of the panel two centaurs are depicted, one male, playing a horn and a female holding a lyre. On the right, the person wearing a leopard's skin is Skirtos, holding a pair of percussion instruments, some kind of crotals. A Maenad, the last dancer of the top register, holds a pair of crotales or castagnets. In the second row, at the middle, stands Pan, holding also a percussion instrument, possibly a sistrum, and right next to him a syrinx is visible along with another pair of sistrum, like the one that Pan is holding. A sylen follows, playing a seashell horn (Kochlos) with his left hand and to his right is a depiction of another Maenad, holding possibly a cymbal.

Iconclass

92L7
centaurs
92L1911
maenad(s), female bacchant(es)
92L55
non-aggressive, friendly or neutral activities and relationships of Pan
48C73
musical instruments; group of musical instruments
48C753
more than one musician with instrument

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

End-blown horn [5177]
Lyre [3501]
Crotala
Crotales [2470]
Sistrum [3042]
Syrinx [4084]
Shell horn

Image URLs

image link 1
image link 2

RIdIM record id

7336

Data provider

Koç University – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (GABAM) and The Friends of Music Society in Athens launched the Byzantine Musical Instruments Project in 2018 with Dr. Antonios Botonakis, under the scientific supervision of Prof. Nikos Maliaras. In 2020, the results of the research were integrated with Koç University Suna Kıraç Library’s website to present an online database with various filters to help researchers make in-depth research.
The main objective of the project was to thoroughly document the depictions of Byzantine musical instruments. During the research, a great number of visual representations on artefacts from the wider geographic area of the Byzantine Empire were studied. In the database more than 400 visual representations of musical instruments spread across 136 different cultural institutions in 27 countries around the world are presented to researchers.
In order to encompass the rich variety of the instruments used in the Byzantine times, some recurring visuals have been eliminated from the database to make room for unique visuals. Since the research was conducted by a Post-Doctorate researcher who is a musicologist, the database demonstrating the iconography also provides a unique classification of instruments. This project is a natural partner for the RIdIM database of performing arts images from all cultures and eras.
Project Direction- Engin Akyürek | Scientific Supervision- Nikos Maliaras | Scientific Research- Antonios K. Botonakis | Content Editor & Turkish Translation- Merve Özkılıç | Project Coordination- Barış Altan, Alexandros Charkiolakis | Digital Collection Technical Support- Senem Acar (Digital collection archivist), George Boumpous, Vera Kriezi, Sina Mater (Web design) | Funded by: Koç University – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (GABAM)