Amorous Couple. Gold From Tillya Tepe. Near Sheberghan, Jawzjan Province.

1981
In addition to her crown, the noble lady in Burial 6 wore large temporal pendants featuring the Goddess Anahita, and a clasp (6.5 x 7 cm; total weight 97.22 grams) pinning her cloak below the neck. It displays an episode from the cult of Dionysus, Greek God of the Grape, known to the Romans as Bacchus and memorable for his Bacchanalian festivals celebrating freedom, intoxication and ecstasy. A couple ride a raging monster as the male caresses the female while a winged Nike, Goddess of Victory, bestows her approval behind them. Lying sprawled on the left dressed in a leather pusteen, a drunken, Silenius, great friend of Dionysus, offers the couple a glass of wine. The rustic quality of the workmanship dates this piece to an early Kushan period in the 1st century CE.
Photo: Louis Dupree

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Filename: 81-570.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 5523x2595 / 2.5MB; 1981 Afghanistan Jawzjan Sheberghan Tillya Tepe Golden Mound Goddess Anahita Clasp Cult of Dionysus Greek God of the Grape Silenius Kushan Period Louis Dupree Slide LD 1981 01995
Contained in galleries: NATIONAL MUSEUM II: CE (Common Era)

1981<br />
In addition to her crown, the noble lady in Burial 6 wore large temporal pendants featuring the Goddess Anahita, and a clasp (6.5 x 7 cm; total weight 97.22 grams) pinning her cloak below the neck. It displays an episode from the cult of Dionysus, Greek God of the Grape, known to the Romans as Bacchus and memorable for his Bacchanalian festivals celebrating freedom, intoxication and ecstasy. A couple ride a raging monster as the male caresses the female while a winged Nike, Goddess of Victory, bestows her approval behind them. Lying sprawled on the left dressed in a leather pusteen, a drunken, Silenius, great friend of Dionysus, offers the couple a glass of wine. The rustic quality of the workmanship dates this piece to an early Kushan period in the 1st century CE. <br />
Photo: Louis Dupree