Dionysus with Thyrsus from Side

This bronze Dionysus (117–138) shows the god in a graceful, almost androgynous stride, reflecting his power to blur boundaries between gender, nature, and ecstasy. His vine-wreathed hair and relaxed pose draw on Greek Classical models revived under Hadrian. The thyrsus served not just as a ritual staff but as a symbol of spiritual renewal in Dionysian cults. The green-rose patina film formed during centuries in the Tiber, where the statue was found in 1885, likely from a riverside villa.