A Dionysiac monopodium from the Royal Quarter of Alexandria and its original type
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Abstract
Figural table supports (monopodia) are a distinctive class of Graeco-Roman domestic furniture, but few examples are securely documented from Egypt. This study re-examines a fragmentary Dionysiac marble group from the Royal Quarter (Basileia) of Alexandria, now in the Graeco-Roman Museum (GRM inv. 3577), which depicts a youthful Satyr clasping a Maenad. Since its first mention by Giuseppe Botti and subsequent descriptions by Achille Adriani and Paul Stanwick, the piece has been treated as a small free-standing sculpture, and its function has never been questioned. Through examination of the tapering rear support, together with typological comparison with the Dionysiac support type and related Hellenistic sculpture, the article argues that the object is a table support (monopodium). The group has no exact typological parallel, which suggests that a lost Alexandrian original was later reproduced. Its recovery from the Basileia, among richly decorated architectural remains, points to a highstatus setting in which sculptural furniture formed part of elite display. The piece thus illuminates Dionysiac iconography in the domestic décor of Graeco-Roman Egypt under Roman rule.
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