Late Roman Bronze Bacchus Staff Head from Antinoë

[Statius]

Does anyone know where I can find a drawing or photograph of the Bronze image of Bacchus Staff head from the so called Centurion's grave at Antinoe, Eygpt. I believe remains of a Sagum ornamented with swastikas were also found.

Have trawled the net but to no avail. Best I can do is an illustration of a Centenarius of The Scholae Palatinae by Giuseppe Rava in the Roman Centurions Osprey which doesn't show the Bacchus head in any significant detail.

Any assistance greatly appreciated.

[Statius]

No one can help :???:

[Robert Vermaat]

Sorry Marc I drew a blanc here.

[Statius]

Sorry Marc I drew a blanc here.

Thanks for trying Robert, if you failed to find anything I fear my search is doomed to failure. One would have thought such a spectacular find would be well published :unsure:

[Robert Vermaat]

I even have trouble's finding that 'centurion's grave'. Could you post more information and perhaps an image of that staff?

[Robert Vermaat]

The article from Gayet (1903) does not leave us with much: a sparse description of the centurion I think, but nothing about a bacchus pommel:
http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/sites/dl-pa.hom...00slsn.pdf (see pp. 128-129 for the only 'centurion').

But I found a book about the portraits of Antinoë with some nice pictures, but not that pommel:
Guimet, Émile (1912): Les Portraits d'Antinoé au Musée Guimet

P 16:
Un personnage entouré de bandelettes croisées rouges et jaunes. A côté de lui, on avait placé deux petites poupées en plâtre représentant des gens mangeant sur une table, le triclinium sans doute, et chargées d'inviter le défunt à dîner. On ramassa aussi un buste de Minerve en terre cuite, un buste de Bacchus en bronze, peut-être le haut d'un bâton de commandement, car il peut s'emmancher, et un Bes guerrier en terre cuite. Le défunt n'était donc pas tout à fait un isiaque, puisqu'il vénérait les divinités olympiennes. M. Gayet pense que c'était un centurion romain (?).

A personage surrounded by strips of red and yellow cross. Beside him, had placed two dolls plaster representing people eating on a table, probably the triclinium, and responsible for the late invite to dinner. We also picked bust of Minerva terracotta bust of Bacchus bronze, perhaps the top of a baton, as it can as to fit, and a terracotta warrior Bes. The deceased was not quite a Isis, as the Olympian deities worshiped. M. Gayet think it was a Roman centurion (?).

[Statius]

Fascinating reference material Robert thanks for that yet no mention of the mysterious Bacchus staff head. I wonder where D'Amato got his information from :???:

[Robert Vermaat]

Fascinating reference material Robert thanks for that yet no mention of the mysterious Bacchus staff head. I wonder where D'Amato got his information from :???:

Judging from the image of the sagum, he went to the museum where the stuff is exhibited. Maybe we'd best ask d'Amato - he's on the forum.

[Robert Vermaat]

Maybe something like this? It's a bronze mount depicting Bacchus, supposedly 1st-4th c. from Essex..


[attachment=6028]bacchus.jpg[/attachment]

[Statius]

Right two years on since I posted on this thread asking for any photos, illustrations or anything of the Bronze Bacchus Staff head from the so called Centurion Grave in Antinoë.
Apart from Robert's noble efforts has anyone got any more information in the intervening period. It is hard to believe that such an unusual and unique find has just vanished off of the radar :???: .
I am keen to reconstruct this piece for my Late Roman Impression but haven't a great deal to go on at the moment.
Many thanks for any assistance

[john m roberts]

The head looks more like Silenus to me. Wasn't Bacchus usually depicted as a young man?

[Statius]

The head looks more like Silenus to me. Wasn't Bacchus usually depicted as a young man?

Bacchus could be young or old as far as I understand John although both the representation of him on the Lycurgus Cup or the Middenhall plate do indeed seem to be a young man.

I am still amazed that no proper photographs or illustrations of the Staff Head appear to be in circulation- considering that it is possibly a unique find.

Is the object locked away in the vaults of a Museum somewhere?

Has the item been lost?

Where did the author & illustrator (Raffaele D'Amato/Giuseppe Rava) get the necessary information for their reconstruction of the 'Centurion' % his Vitis in the Osprey Book Roman Centurions 31 BC-AD500?

So many questions so few answers :? . Some one must have an idea?