Il mito omerico di Dionysos ed i pirati tirreni

This study examines the Hellenistic context of Nuceria Alfaterna (modern Nocera Superiore) following the 1993 archaeological excavation at the S. Clemente site. The investigation analyzes three distinct tombs and two adjacent dirt roads dating to the second century BC, preserved beneath volcanic fallout from the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Although Tomb 54 suffered ancient looting, it yielded 145 significant artifacts, including a bone casket, terracotta bull protomes, oak leaves, ducks, and gilded rosettes and berries likely belonging to a funerary crown. Most notably, the assemblage features rare anthropomorphic dolphin figurines. These artifacts represent a unique funerary document directly referencing the Homeric myth of Dionysus and the Tyrrhenian pirates. The discovery fills a crucial Second-Century BC chronological gap in Dionysiac iconography, shedding light on the salvific symbolism of the myth within the funerary culture of Nuceria—a city historically attributed to Tyrrhenian origins.