A deity revered by the Greeks and called Bacchus by the Romans, he is generally known as the god of wine. His worship, perhaps of Phrygian origin, was highly celebrated in Athens, so much so that the theatre of Dionysus represented by the biggest Greek tragedians between the 6th and 5th centuries BC...

An ancient hat made of various materials, commonly leather, felt or fabric. It is generally characterised by an elongated cone shape, in other forms it is oval or a simple dome, as in the case of Ulysses in the scene depicted in the mosaic of the Villa del Casale. Its highly elongated cone shape, wi...

A Greek island that is part of the archipelago of the Ionian Islands; known, according to tradition, for being the home of the Greek hero Ulysses, whose deeds are narrated by Homer in the epic poem of the Odyssey....

The Odyssey, together with the Iliad, is one of the two great Greek epic poems attributed to the poet Homer. It tells the story of the hero Odysseus, better known by the name of Ulysses. After the Trojan War, narrated in the Iliad, he sets out on an adventure by sea, returning to his homeland, Itha...

Homer is the name that historically identifies the Greek poet attributed with writing two epic poems: the Iliad and the Odyssey. His existence is shrouded in mystery; according to the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC, Homer lived around the 8th century BC. The poet’s exi...

Polyphemus is the giant cyclops son of the nymph Thoosa and Poseidon, god of the sea. He is described in the Odyssey, Homer’s epic poem, as a rough and beastly shepherd, distinguished by a single eye. In the oldest Greek myths, the cyclops are gigantic figures, children of the Earth and Heaven,...

Ulysses was a famous Greek hero, his character a mix of mythology and history. According to tradition he was son of Laertes and Anticlea, and is known as the King of Ithaca. One of the most popular protagonists of Greek mythology, his fame crossed the entire ancient world and still remains a refere...

Before the imperial period, in Rome, the lecti triclinaris were each composed of three padded pillows, and were placed around a central dining table on three sides so that nine diners could converse freely. Half lying down, the Romans would eat on their left side and took their place on the lecti ac...

Before the imperial period, in Rome, the lecti triclinaris were each composed of three padded pillows, and were placed around a central dining table on three sides so that nine diners could converse freely. Half lying down, the Romans would eat on their left side and took their place on the lecti ...

In Tetrarchic and Constantinian times, the Romans applied a textile decoration in the shape of a circle, the orbiculus, to adorn their tunic, first with embroidery on the shoulder and then in other areas of the garment. Examples of these ornaments have also been found in the Byzantine and Coptic are...