A “black room” with frescoes was discovered in ancient Pompeii: the most amazing discovery

A banquet hall decorated with well-preserved frescoes depicting characters inspired by the Trojan War has been discovered among the ruins of Pompeii, in what has been described as one of the most astonishing discoveries ever made at an archaeological site in southern Italy.

The room, 15 meters long and six meters wide, was discovered in a former private house on Via di Nola, which was the longest road of ancient Pompeii, during excavations in the Regio IX area, writes The Guardian.

According to experts, the “black room,” so named because of the color of its walls, which was probably intended to disguise the soot from burning oil lamps, was “an exquisite setting for entertaining during festive moments.”

Its walls are decorated with artwork depicting mythical Greek characters, including Helen of Troy meeting Paris, Prince of Troy for the first time. The fresco features a dog and an inscription in Greek that reads “Alexandros,” another name for the prince. According to Greek legend, the couple’s elopement sparked the Trojan War in the 12th century BC.

Another fresco depicts the Greek god Apollo trying to woo the priestess Cassandra. In his attempts to seduce her, Apollo gave her the ability to foresee the future, but when she rejected him, he cursed her so that no one would believe her predictions. As a result, she was unable to prevent the tragic events of the battle she had predicted. After being raped during the capture of Troy, Cassandra was enslaved.

Gabriel Suchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, explains that mythological characters had a clear function to entertain guests and provide topics for conversation during the holidays.

“Mythological couples provided ideas for conversations about the past and life that seemed to be purely romantic,” he says. – They actually refer to the relationship between personality and fate: Cassandra, who can see the future, but no one believes her, Apollo, who sides with the Trojans against the Greek invaders, but, being a god, cannot ensure victory, Helen and Paris , which, despite their politically incorrect love affair, is the cause of the war, or perhaps just a pretext.”

He added: “People were going to have dinner after sunset; the flickering light of the lamps gave the impression that the images were moving, especially after several glasses of good Campanian wine.”

The works are of the “third style,” or florid style, and date from between 15 BC. and 40-50 AD.

“It’s always difficult to judge quality, but what we see is a high degree of attention to detail, expression and shadows,” said Suchtriegel. “It’s very impressive, as is the theme of the work.”

Meanwhile, the room’s exquisite mosaic floor is decorated with more than a million tiny white tiles.

The room opens onto a courtyard with a long staircase leading to the second floor of the house, under which a huge pile of building materials was discovered. On the arches of the stairs, someone had drawn in charcoal two pairs of gladiators, and what archaeologists say “looks like a huge stylized phallus.”

Excavations in Regio IX, an area of ​​the city that was home to many houses and workshops, have led to numerous other discoveries since February last year, including a house containing a cramped bakery where enslaved people are believed to have been kept captive and used for the production of bread.

In one of the premises of the bakery, the remains of three victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD were discovered. A still life mural resembling a pizza was also discovered on a wall in the hallway of the home. In December, 13 Christmas-themed figurines were found upright on what was likely a shelf in the home’s hallway. Archaeologists said the figurines were evidence of pagan rituals performed in Pompeii before the city was destroyed by Vesuvius.

“Pompeii is truly a treasure trove that never ceases to surprise and amaze us, because every time we dig we find something beautiful and significant,” said Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.

The ruins of Pompeii were discovered in the 16th century, and the first excavations began in 1748, The Guardian recalls. Pompeii is the second most visited archaeological site in the world.