Ivy in the Art and Religion of Ancient Thrace
Ivy in the Art and Religion of Ancient Thrace

Summary/Abstract: Ivy is a popular element of the decoration of various types of artifacts from Ancient Thrace. Despite their popularity, the ivy images haven’t attracted any special research interest so far. The literary evidence for the psychoactive properties of the ivy and its religious ritual use in Ancient Greece and Thrace is commented. Selected examples of the iconography of ivy in Ancient Thrace are analyzed in comparison with the evidence of the literary sources and iconographic parallels. There are presented hypotheses for the use of ivy in the religious rituals and the semantics of its iconography in Ancient Thrace.

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