Digital Maps of the Ancient World

Ariadne

In Greek mythology, Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, became the immortal wife of Dionysus, the god of wine.

Roman statue of a sleeping Ariadne. Vatican Museum. (c) Wknight94

Residence: Mount Olympus
Symbols: Crown, String, Bull, Snake
Parents: Minos and Pasiphae
Siblings: Phaedra, Catreus, Deucalion, Glaucus and Androgeus
Consort: Dionysus
Children:  Oenopion, Staphylus, Thoas, Peparethus, Phanus, Eurymedon, Phliasus, Enyeus, Ceramus, Maron, Euanthes, Latramys and Tauropolis
Roman equivalent: Libera

Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, provided the means for Theseus to slay the Minotaur and then fled with him. However, on the island of Naxos, Theseus betrayed her, leaving her alone while she slept. It was there that Dionysus discovered her and made her his wife. The myths diverge on her fate: some say she was later slain by the goddess Artemis, while others claim she ascended to Olympus as an immortal alongside her husband.

Art

Relief of Ariadne and Dionysus in a procession. Antikensammlung.
Bronze repousse of Ariadne and Dionysus, c. 325-300 BC, from Chalki. British Museum
Camep plaque of Ariadne, 1st c. AD, from the House of Fabius Rufus, Pompeii, Naples National Archaeology Museum.
Red-figure bell krater of Ariadne and Dionysus. Cartagena Archaeological Museum.
Fresco of Ariadne and Dionysus, 1st c. AD.
Getty Villa.
Relief of Ariadne and Dionysus, 3rd c. AD.
Venice National Archaeology Museum.
Fresco of the abandoned Ariadne, 1st c. AD, from Pompeii. Naples Archaeology Museum.
Relief of Ariadne, 2nd-3rd c. AD, from Thessaloniki. The Louvre.
Fresco of Ariadne and Dionysus, from Pompeii. Naples Archaeology Museum. (c) Sailko

Blog at WordPress.com.