Dionysiaca aurea
Résumé
The return of the Golden Age under the aegis of Dionysus is a theme that was developed in Rome towards the end of the Republic and at the beginning of the Empire, in a period stretching from Catullus to Ovid. The image was later appropriated by Augustus, who integrated it into the aesthetic and religious programme of the Principate. I shall begin by examining these Augustan images, and then move on to look at the evolution of Dionysian iconography under the Julio-Claudians, paying particular attention to the decor of the Domus Transitoria and Domus Aurea.