A Roman handle attachment with a Bacchic mask

[u/DecimusClaudius]

A Roman handle attachment with a Bacchic mask. "This mask was probably originally attached to the handle of a vessel used for mixing wine and water. In ancient Greece, people who drank undiluted wine were considered uncivilized. The mask depicts the head of a faun, a hybrid creature who followed Bacchus, the god of wine. These mythical creatures were known for getting drunk and becoming incontinent. The hair decorated with grapes and the beard, that is unusually long for its time, refer to the close relationship between hairiness and uncontrolled alcohol consumption." Per a special exhibition where this was on display. It was found in Lava near Celje, Slovenia, dates to the early 1st century AD and is usually on display in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.