Illustration of a mosaic floor featuring geometric patterns and circular portraits in a rusty brown and black.
A clay, cream, and green mosaic of a man in a toga wearing a wreath, holding a shepherd’s staff. His portrait is framed by a circle of clay-red swirling patterns.
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Unknown Maker, Roman

Satyr

Maker

Unknown Maker, Roman

Culture

Roman

Title

Satyr

Period

(Imperial Period, 27 BCE-393 CE)

Year

324-337 CE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Geography

Daphne, Syria

Dimensions

121.9 x 117.5 cm (48 x 46 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

written on back "D.H.-26KRM.1Reg.No.5524-Y M93 1935"

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Acquired by exchange from Worcester Art Museum

Object Number

40.196

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Being and Believing in the Natural World
Perspectives from the Ancient Mediterranean, Asia, and Indigenous North America
Oct 22, 2022 – Jun 04, 2023

Label copy

Prosperous homes near the ancient Roman city of Antioch (now Antakya, Turkey) were often decorated with images of the wine god Dionysus and his followers. This satyr, a mythical woodland companion of Dionysus, was once part of the floor in an opulent villa in a suburb of Antioch. The satyr wears a wreath of green spiky leaves and holds a crooked stick used for hunting hares. By greeting guests to the villa and inviting them to enjoy life’s pleasures, images like this one contributed to an atmosphere of wine-drinking merriment.

--GB

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Roman
Satyr, 324-337 CE
Limestone tesserae
121.9 x 117.5 cm (48 x 46 1/4 inches)
Acquired by exchange from Worcester Art Museum 40.196

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