After Mt. Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, it completely covered the city of Pompeii, a once sophisticated Roman city full of art and culture.
The ash of the volcano preserved much of the city, which has slowly been unearthed over the last several centuries. For over 250 years, the site has become a popular tourist attraction, as well as a place for archaeologists to discover lost art and culture.
Just this past month, a banquet room with black walls, frescoes, and mosaics was unearthed, much of the art is stunning condition. Painted in Third Style artworks, the depictions show mythology and deities involved in the Trojan War, which took place around 500 BC.
This recent excavation is part of block 10 of Regio IX.
Take a look at the amazing frescoes and artwork below.
“The walls were painted black to prevent the smoke from the oil lamps being seen on the walls. People would meet to dine after sunset; the flickering light of the lamps had the effect of making the images appear to move, especially after a few glasses of good Campanian wine,”
emphasises Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the Director of the Archaeological park of Pompeii.
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1 Comment
Beautiful. It’s amazing the preservation that ash keeps stuff beautiful after all these centuries.
I wonder what they do with the ash dug out. There must be a high piles of it.