Ivory pyxides--cylindrical boxes, carved from cross sections of an elephant's tusk--were used in Antiquity to hold valuables, and later used by Christians to hold the consecrated host. This pyxis shows scenes from classical mythology. Dionysos, a son of Zeus, rides in his chariot overseeing his conquest of India. The pyxis recalls the epic stories of Dionysos penned by a fifth-century poet of Egypt, Nonnos of Panopolis; both attest to the persistent popularity of Dionysiac themes well into the Christian era.

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