The most complex of the Greek gods, master of intoxication, inventor of the symposium and wine, and patron of Athenian theater and music, Dionysus fascinated artists, philosophers, and poets for thousands of years. Masks of Dionysus examines the specific social and historical contexts of Dionysus in the Greek world and explores his influences in the modern world. There are twelve essays addressing topics such as Dionysus' influence on Greek tragedy and art, his ties to mystery religions, and concepts of the afterlife. This book is considered essential for students and scholars of classical literature, history of religion, history of art, ancient history, and classical philology. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Masks of Dionysus is divided into four separate sections. The first begins with Albert Henrichs who believes that Dionysus is primarily the god of wine but is also the god of the mask, devotees and the dead. Along with Henrichs, Michael Jameson wrote about the asexuality of Dionysus followed by Thomas Carpenter's depictions of the beardless Dionysus. While the idea of ​​whether or not he had a beard may escape many, the acknowledgment of his beard was important to many Greeks because it was interpreted as if he were now of age. It is believed that since he was still coming of age, this would explain why he showed signs of asexuality, due to the Greeks' belief that sexuality and age went together. Finally, the first section concluded with Dirk Obbink's writing on the Dionysian sacrifice. Obbink explained how the Dionysian sacrifice of the Greeks was often compared by scholars to Christian sacramental rituals. Section two are writings by Renate Schlesier, Richard Seaford and Froma Zeitlin (pp. 89-182), all of whom discuss Dionysus' connection to the theatre. . Schlesier discussed critics trying to find Dionysus in Greek tragedy and wrote something about the use of Bacchic terminology "demonstrates that tragedy is a Dionysian genre". Seaford analyzes the connection between the maenads, female followers of Dionysus, and the wedding rituals discovered through subtle observations. Finally, Zeitlin discusses the different morals of Athens and Thebes regarding the treatment of Dionysus. Zeitlin concluded that Athens tended to show love for Dionysus, while plays set in Thebes usually connect Dionysus with "negative" deities. The third section is written by Carpenter, Francois Lissarrague and Larissa Bonfante. Lissarrague spoke about the images of satyrs on Attic vases, explaining that satyrs are depicted as thirsty members of a “cult” with a large sexual appetite. In the meantime, Bonfante set out to investigate which images of the Etruscan Dionysus could be similar or different from the Greek Dionysus. Both writers began to examine the art that followed Dionysus and how scholars might interpret it. The fourth and final section includes three studies on Dionysus and the mystery cults by Fritz Graf, Walter Burkert and Susan Cole. Graf investigates the Orphic gold leaves that were often found with women, discovering that they come from the Bacchic mysteries, Bacchicus being another name for Dionysus. Burket examined the evidence for the mysteries and described their transformations over time. Cole focused primarily on the lack of attention that the followers of Dionysus paid to life and death as they approached the Roman Empire. While Masks of Dionysus only focuses on the study of one god, it is able to bring to light many different humanities studies. . Starting from the historical connections, which actually make up the entire book, all the contributing authors have each focused on..