god passed over into Hellas from Phoenicia1, yet mighty and irresistible, the natural servant and ally of the solar Demiurge. Satyro-Seilenoi and Mainades, representatives of the male and female principles, Kain-like, bring the fruits of the earth as a fit offering for the Earth-king, and sportive Love plays before him. But, it may be asked, is it supposed that the artist in designing the group had such occult symbolism in mind? In all probability not, and so much the more valuable is his testimony as that of an unconscious witness who faithfully reproduced preexisting ideas. An infinite number of examples of Vase-illustrations of the Dionysiak Cycle might be cited in an almost exhaustless and varied monotony; but the above-mentioned are sufficient for the purpose, and show that the testimony of the Vases, like that of all. other branches of Bakchik evidence, illustrate the Oriental and kosmogonico-solar character of the god. If we do not find the Mysteries of Eleusis fully depicted, the far more important mysteries of nature are freely pourtrayed. A few specimens of grotesque Dionysiak Vase art may be instanced: LXIII. Cup terminating in the heads of a Seilenos and Mainad, placed back to back.-On it Dionysos, holding a bunch of grapes; and on the reverse, the androgynous Eros, also holding a grape-bunch.2 LXIV. Lekythos (oil-cruse), in the form of a Satyrik head, with mask-face, raised brows and wide open mouth.3 LXV. Lekythos, in the form of a seated pigmy Seilenos. Vases also occasionally occur in the shapes of wine-skins, ducks, human bodies and feet, fish, elephants, Gorgons' and negroes' heads, etc. The Janus-like cup 1 Cf. Herod. iii. 37. 2 Brit. Mus. Vase Cat. No. 1476. 3 Ibid. 1479. 4 Ibid. 1484. 6 symbolizes the character of the two-natured Iakchos,' attended by the sexless Eros. Among the recent Kypriot discoveries of General Cesnola are archaic Vases of various grotesque and fanciful forms. The grotesque is contrary to the indigenous Hellenik spirit, and is borrowed from the East, nor can it be found in any instance in early Hellas, except either within or under the influence of the Dionysiak Cycle.1 Ancient art also ran riot in the forms of Lamps, which frequently are of Satyrik shapes, or have Dionysiak subjects pourtrayed on them, but which call for no special notice. LXVI. The celebrated karchesion, commonly called 'the two-handled cup of St. Denys.'-Dr. Birch, after remarking that the shape of the karchesion is not very intelligible from the descriptions of early writers, observes as, however, it was the sort of cup held by Dionysos and his "wassail rout" in the Pageant of Ptolemy Philadelphus, it was probably a kind of kantharos.' 2 Some critics consider the cup to belong to the time of Nero, others place it earlier. It was presented, in the ninth century, to the Abbey of St. Denys, and was always used to hold the wine at the coronation of the Kings of France. Its sculptures represent masks, vases, and other Bacchic emblems.' 3 Thus the general Vase attributes and adjuncts of Dionysos are his flowing locks, ivy-wreath, long tunic peplos, the vine, kanthar, keras, thyrsos, serpent, torn fawn, or goat, and long beard on the earlier Vases. Of animals, the panther, goat, bull and mule, or ass attend him. His train consists of Satyroi, Seilenoi, and Mainades; such as Oinos, Wine-personified; Hedyoinos, Sweet wine; Komos, Revel; Dithyrambos, the Dithyramb personified; 1 Cf. Wright, Hist. of Caricature and Grotesque in Literature and Art, cap. I. 2 Anct. Pottery, 380. 3 Westropp, Handbook of Archaeol. 279. Opora, Latter-summer-bloom; Oreithyia, the free fresh life of the hills; 1 Oragie, mountain wildness; Gelos, Laughter; Briachos, a form of Iakchos; Phanope, Brighteyes; Xanthe, Golden-hair; Dorkis, Large-eyed; Klyto, Beauteous; Eros, Love; Himeros, Longing; Pothos, Desire; Simos, Flat-nosed; Tyrbas, Joyous-disturbance; Eudaimos, Luck-bringer; Euoia, a personification of the Bakchik cry Euoi; Kissos, Ivy; Nais, Water-nymph; Eirene, Peace; Galene, Calm; Chora, Dance-and-song; and similar concepts. They drink, dance, leap, feast, play with animals at games, and on kettle-drums and castanets, chase each other, form processions, and generally serve and attend upon the god. As there is no mystery about anything we thoroughly understand, and the conjurer's trick when explained appears simplicity itself; so the varied figures and complicated incidents of the Great Dionysiak Myth easily resolve themselves into harmonious order when once the kosmico-solar and pantheistic character of the divinity is recognised and admitted. Around the Spirit of Material Existence, their proper centre, sport the manifestations of the forces of nature and of man; and life, heat, sound, motion, and passion, find their appropriate representatives and fitting symbolism in the Bakchik train. SECTION II. DIONYSIAK STATUARY. The upright stone preceded the pillar, and the pillar, the statue. Dionysos, ancient god, is known as Stylos the Pillar, and Perikionios the Column-twiner; and Pillar 1 Cf. Milton: 'The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty,' Oreithyia, not Oragie. 2 Vide inf. VIII. i. Perikionios. cult, Oriental in origin, is illustrated by the following instances, among others : Jacob sets up a pillar-stone, and pours oil on it.1 A. similar anointing was practised in the days of Theophrastos, B.C. 371-287,2 and in those of Arnobius, A.D. 300. Sets up a stone as a witness-pillar and boundary mark.3 The pillars of the doomed nations to be destroyed.5 Absalom's pillar.7 The two pillars in the porch of the Temple, Jachin and Boaz.8 The two pillars in the temple of the Tyrian Melqarth,9 and his mythic and other pillars at the Straits of Gades.10 The god Ouranos makes Baitylia, or living stones.11 Inscribed pillars of Uasi and Uasar.12 Inscribed pillars of Sesostris (Sesortasen), with phallic emblems. 13 Worship of the Ashera, or phallic rod, the thyrsosstaff of Dionysos, the grove-cult of the Old Testament, prototype of the maypole. The monumental stones in the race-course before Troia.14 The monumental pillar of Sarpedon.15 Ancient round tower-pillars from India to Ireland. The great pillars in front of the temple of Atargath at Bambyke in Syria, bearing the inscription, "These phalloi Dionysos erected to his mother Here, i.e., the goddess of the country who corresponded with the Aryan Here.16 Phalloi,' says Loukianos, the Hellenes raised 6 1 Gen. xxviii. 18. 2 Theoph. Charak. xvi. 3 Gen. xxxi. 45. 4 Ibid. xxxv. 20. 5 Deut. xii. 3; xvi. 22. Judges ix. 6. 72 Sam. xviii. 18. 8 1 Kings vii. 21. 9 Herod. ii. 44. Vide inf. XI. ii. 11 Ibid. i. 6. 12 Diod. i. 27. 13 Herod. ii. 102-106. 14 Il. xxiii. 329. 15 Ibid. xvi. 457. 16 Loukianos, Peri tes Sy. The. xvi. to Dionysos," and Uasi in legend had acted similarly to Uasar.2 Blocks of wood and stone were the earliest representations of the gods, for in old time the temples were without carved images,' and Themistios affirms that until the time of Daidalos, i.e. the age when the sculptor's art was introduced into Hellas from the East, all Hellenik images were shapeless. There are various notices of rude stone divinities in the mythological Itinerary of Pausanias. Thus at Pharai in Achaia were thirty square stones, each called after the name of a god, and venerated by the inhabitants; and Pausanias observes that all the Hellenes formerly reverenced rude stones, instead of statues.5 Near Sikyon was a pyramidal statue of a divinity, who was called Zeus Meilichios (i.e. Melqarth) or the Appeased, as Hekate was euphemistically styled Meilione; and also a pillar-statue of Artemis Patroa, identical with the Taurik Artemis.6 In Phoenician regions sacred stones occupied a most prominent place. Thus Tacitus describes the statue of the celebrated Aphrodite of Pappa (Paphos) as coniform ;7 and Lajard remarks, 'In all Cyprian coins, from Augustus to Macrinus, may be seen where we should expect to find a statue of the goddess, the form of a conical stone.' 8 Maximus Tyrius records, The Paphians worship Aphrodite, whose statue is like a white pyramid.' 9 Thus, again, a coin of Chalkis, bearing the head of the Phoenician Poseidon with his trident, has on the reverse a temple with two columns and a conical stonebetween them; 10 and Melkarth was adored in the great temple at Tyre, in the form of a ་ |