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Please Consider joining my Patreon to help finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. Dionysus, alternatively named Bacchus, Iacchus, Zagreus, Sabazius, or Liber Pater (as well as dozens of Titles in the traditions of Greco-Roman mythology, is a deity representing the natural elements of fertility and plant life, but is most renowned as the god of wine and revelry. The presence of his name on a Linear B tablet dating back to the 13th century BCE provides evidence that his worship was present during the Bronze age Mycenaean period, yet the exact origins of his cult remain unkown. He could be even older than that. Throughout various legends associated with his cult, Dionysus is consistently portrayed as having exotic beginnings. To even begin to guess how old Dionysus is, you first have to understand that he is older than the invention of the alphabet. So dating him is tricky. Linear B represents a system of writing that utilized syllabic script to transcribe Mycenaean Greek, recognized as the most ancient form of the Greek language on record. This system of writing was in existence several centuries before the emergence of the Phoenican and Greek alphabet. The earliest instances of Mycenaean inscription trace back to approximately 1500 BCE, but the use of Linear B ceased following the end of the Bronze Age around 1200 BCE. Dionysus shows up in this period. sixth century BC, Pherecydes of Syros had suggested nũsa as an ancient word for “tree,“ it could possibly have ties to Mount Nysa, the mythological birthplace in Greek lore of the god, where he was cared for by nymphs known as the Nysiads. ANd it's possible that it could be related to both “tree“ and Mt. Nysa. As Homer describes “‘There is a certain Nysa, mountain high, with forests thick of Cedar, in Phoinike afar, close to Aigyptos' (Egypt's) streams.’ . A vase created by Sophilos ascribes names to these Nysiads (nusae). Some ancient propositions situated Nysa within Boeotia, the dwelling place of Dionysus' mother, Semele. Helicon Mountain and the hamlet of Eleutherae were believed to be plausible locations. Thrace was another potential location, possibly due to the early reverence of the god in that region. The Caucasus was another speculated site, situated at the known world's eastern boundary, since Dionysus was presumed to have entered Greece from the east. In the fifth century BCE, Herodotus of Halicarnassus was aware of a mountain by the name of Nysa located in Aethiopia, possibly referring to Djebel Barkal, a place where ancient Nubians offered sacrifices to Amon. Antimachus of Colophon, who lived around the same time as Herodotus, seems to have adopted this idea, relocating Nysa to Arabia, possibly correlating it with the Arab deity referred to by Greeks as Orotalt. Diodorus of Sicily cites Antimachus, but he also documents a tradition locating Nysa in Libya. This relocation may be influenced by the worship of Shadrapa in Phoenician colonies along the Libyan coast. Furthermore, Diodorus chronicles ancient traditions situating the god’s birth in various places including Elis, Eleutherae, Naxos, or Teos.“ Regardless of his origins, This means that Dionyus can be dated no sooner than the 13th century BCE but also possibly even older, possibly even in the copper age. Knossos crete is arguably the oldest city in the world, having archaeological evidence dating back to 7,000 BCE, in the late stone age. The Island is rich in copper and is one of the leading possible locations for the beginning of the copper age which began around 4,000-3,500 BCE. The minoans Thrived during this period. Linear B, which Dionysus name is found in, is generally thought to have evolved from LINEAR A, the Heiroglyphic writing that the Minoans used and one of the oldest forms of writing on earth. In Minoan Crete, specifically at Knossos, the name 'Pentheus,' a term from subsequent Dionysian mythology meaning 'suffering,' was commonly bestowed upon men. It was a common name for the common class. Hungarian Philologist Kerényi posited that assigning such a name to a child likely implies a substantial spiritual linkage—perhaps as a descriptor for Dionysus himself, who, according to his mythology, is a deity destined to endure and then overcome suffering. In narratives that follow, Pentheus endures agony at the behest of Dionysus' acolytes, hinting at a profound spiritual intertwining, as per Kerényi’s analysis. He further hypothesizes that the term 'man who suffers' originally pertained to the deity before being attributed to specific persons as the narrative evolved. 2nd Channel: @gnosticinformantTV Follow me on Twitter: #gnosticinformant #dionysus #greekmythology
