5/5 Joao Carlos V. 3 years ago on Google
The
mosaic
pavements
of
the
House
of
Dionysus,
and
the
surrounding
mosaic
houses,
are
among
the
finest
to
be
found
in
the
Mediterranean
and
are
the
top
tourist
attraction
in
Paphos.
They
are
part
of
the
larger
Paphos
Archaeological
Site,
which
spans
the
western
side
of
the
harbor.
Discovered
accidentally
by
a
farmer
ploughing
his
fields,
the
mosaic
artwork
here
is
excellently
preserved,
depicting
scenes
from
Greek
mythology
using
vibrant
natural
limestone
colors.
One
of
the
most
well-known
mosaics
is
found
at
the
back
of
the
house,
depicting
a
Ganymede
being
taken
back
to
Olympus
by
an
eagle.
The
most
famous
mosaic
though,
is
the
scene
depicting
the
triumph
of
Dionysos
with
the
God
in
a
chariot
drawn
by
leopards,
while
behind
him
are
a
gathering
of
followers
engaged
in
various
revelries.
In
this
house,
look
to
the
top
left
for
a
depiction
of
Leda
and
Zeus
in
the
form
of
a
swan.
The
top
right
panel
shows
Dionysos
as
a
baby,
accompanied
by
various
nymphs,
and
the
middle
panel
depicts
a
beauty
contest
between
sea
nymphs
of
which
Aion
is
the
judge.
The
final
picture
shows
Apollo
punishing
a
foolish
man
who
had
challenged
the
God
to
a
musical
duel
and
lost.
