Dionysus could bring holy ecstasy to his followers and cruel revenge to his foes. Associated with rebirth, he shaped religious practices across the Mediterranean until the dawn of Christianity ...

In it are bacchantes— female followers of the god of hedonism—depicted as hunters and dancers; playful satyrs playing flutes and imbibing wine; as well as a woman, flanked by Dionysus’s ...

The world-famous site said it had excavated in recent weeks a nearly life-size frieze depicting the procession of Dionysus, the god of wine, painted on three sides of a large banquet room.

Due to forecasts of rain, Sunday's Krewe of Dionysus parade in Slidell has been rescheduled. Don Shea, a krewe member and float lieutenant, said Dionysus will now roll on Friday, Feb. 28.

The newest discovery, in Region IX in the central part of the city, depicts the procession of Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine, against walls and columns painted in Pompeiian red.

So, was the brief scene a mockery of Christianity, as some are suggesting? Or was it a homage to the Greek god Dionysus, as organizers proclaim? Here's what to know about the controversial moment ...