Hermes and Dionysos

This section of the Parthenon frieze (447–438 BC) shows Hermes, identifiable by his cloak and petasos (traveller’s hat), seated beside Dionysos, god of wine, who leans on his shoulder. Dionysos’s raised arm once held a thyrsos (ivy-twined staff), a key attribute of his cult. Their relaxed pose contrasts with the surrounding movement of the procession, emphasizing divine ease amid civic ritual.