kingdom of Egypt—the Ptolemies—escalated their assimilation to the wine god. Chapter 2 tells of the fabulous parades of Ptolemy II, the revels of Ptolemy IV, and the opulence of Ptolemy XII—a bazaar of wealth and power aimed to show these kings’ Dionysian divinity. Later, the Roman triumvir Marc Antony had himself styled the “New Dionysus” during his stint with Cleopatra. In imitation of the god, Antony attacked the Parthians in the east, and later triumphed in Alexandria adorned in the garb of the