'Dionysiac' Iconographic Themes in the Context of Sasanian Religious Architecture

Starting from the new functional interpretation of the imposing architectural complex of Bishapur, traditionally considered a palace of the king Shapur I and now a fire sanctuary, the author examines the presence of a 'Dionysiac' iconography in the mosaics which decorated the floors of two large halls. Extending the discussion to other monuments of the Sasanian period, such as Hajiabad or Bandiyan, in which similar iconographic themes are found as well, the author links the presence of these iconographic themes to the function of the halls, which were meant for sacred feasts and banquets. He therefore explains the 'Dionysiac' background in the light of of a deliberate and conscious adoption of themes which were adequate for the occasions, stressing the fact that the silence of the written sources - all of clerical origin - shows the existence of different levels of religiosity, as proposed by Shaked. Iconography thus proves that the celebration of feasts which included wine drinking and music, in halls decorated with openly Dionysiac motifs, were not foreign to Zoroastrianism. L’articolo, che costituisce una relazione presentata ad un congresso internazionale presso l’Università di Durham (GB), propone una innovativa spiegazione della presenza di temi iconografici di ispirazione dionisiaca all’interno di importanti complessi dell’architettura religiosa zoroastriana ed individua nelle tematiche legate al banchetto in occasione delle numerose festività del calendario zoroastriano la motivazione di tale presenza.