Maenads from a Byzantine Hanging with the Heads of a Dynasian Group, 400- 700, @metmuseumMaenads wer
Maenads from a Byzantine Hanging with the Heads of a Dynasian Group, 400- 700, @metmuseumMaenads were the female attendants of the god of wine, Dionysis. They were supposed to have been women who had left their homes and families to roam forests and mountains, singing and dancing. Although there are negative connotations associated with the maenads emphasizing their state of rapture with song and wine, I have alwasy thought of the maenad as a symbol of women’s liberation. They are among my favorite female characters from antiquity. This tapestry, interestingly enough, made during the Byzantine period is a great example of the continuity of the cultural heritage of the pan-Mediterranean culture that spanned many centuries and continents. -- source link
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