The Libation Mechanism
An important part of Greco-Roman religious ritual was libation, the offering of a liquid (water, wine, milk, honey or oil) in a god’s honour. The automaton’s libation mechanism was a kleis, a modified Roman tap and miniature version of the lead water-pipe systems suppling elite Pompeian houses. This tap mechanism released wine and milk stored in tanks in the temple’s roof.
But how did libation liquids spurt and cascade nosily out of the statue of Dionysus?
A special solen (pipe) turned the flow of libation liquid on and off, and was also used to control the rotational movement of Dionysus. From the roof tanks, a pipe hidden in a temple column ran under Dionysus’ feet, via the kleis. It was attached to two smaller pipes.
The first pipe was located inside the god’s torso, one continuing to his thyrsus (wand), the other to his skyphos (cup).
A falling weight attached to a rope opened the kleis (tap), enabling liquid to flow through the rotating solen. To commence the rotation, a trigger mechanism, like those used in catapults, was released. This made a weight fall and caused the figures of Dionysus and Nike to rotate.
Plutarch (Moralia 365) noted that Dionysus was master and source ‘not only of wine, but also of the origin of every type of moisture.’
Dionysiac worshippers became boundless, uniting with Dionysus both by pouring libations for the god and drinking the mediating liquids spurting out of the statue themselves.