Cute statue of Silenus unearthed in Pella

Silenus is much less-known than his pupil Dionysus, but he is an equally fanciful figure. It seems that initially, Silenus was depicted with the ears and legs of a horse and sometimes even had a tail. However, the later statues usually depicted him as bald and fat and with human legs. 

[Picture from Archaeology News Network]

Finding a small marble statue of Silenus in the North Portico of the Agora in Pella is quite unusual. He is shown with a beard and wearing animal skin and boot-like shoes. His traits lead archaeologists to recognize the features of Silenus, who moved together with Dionysus, and Satyrs and Maenads. Nearby, they also unearthed a semicircular structure and small lead pipes that probably connected to a little fountain. Fragments from a large bronze statue were also discovered. 

It is pretty exciting to hear that the excavations around the Agora are still ongoing. Over the years, this massive square has been carefully restored to give the visitor an excellent impression of what it looked like in the late 4th century BC during the reign of Cassander. 

The Agora remained the commercial and administrative center throughout the Hellenistic period until it was destroyed some 200 years later – possibly by an earthquake.