by Mick the Ram

More remarkable finds have been unearthed at the historic ruins of the heritage site at Pompeii, Italy.

Stunning artwork that has lay buried beneath rubble for almost 2,000 years, were discovered as part of a project to excavate a fresh part of the town that was devastated in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Paintings depicting Helen of Troy, along with other Greek heroes, were found inside what has been described as a “spectacular dining room” with unusual black walls, by archaeologists.

The images are so well preserved it has lead to speculation that they may have only been completed literally at the time of the eruption, with abandoned tools backing up the theory.

The room is around 50 feet long and 20 feet wide and opens onto a courtyard. It has a near-complete mosaic floor covered in more than a million individual white tiles, giving it an astonishing effect.

These staggering findings are from block Number Ten of the ninth section of the ravaged area and underline just how much remains to be explored.

Indeed, more than a third remains untouched and this find just adds to the already excavated 13,000 rooms, in 1,070 houses and apartments.

Entertainment space

The dominating theme of the emerging paintings appears to be one of heroism, with a concentration around the Trojan War. 

The room that has been brought into the open is believed to have been created for entertainment purposes, such as banquets, hinting at an elegant lifestyle. In the adjoining arches of a staircase experts identified a charcoal drawing of two pairs of gladiators.

Descendents of Troy

There is an obvious belief in the stories depicted that the Romans of the time were convinced that they had descended from the people who were at Troy.

That at least is the thoughts of Daisy Dunn, an award-winning author and classicist. She explained how in one painting the god Apollo is seen trying to seduce the priestess Cassandra, but her rejection of him, according to legend, resulted in her prophecies being ignored.

The fall-out and tragic consequences of this are then played-out in a second painting, in which Prince Paris meets Helen with the ultimate outcome of sparking the Trojan War.

Owner “identified”

There have been clues found which hint to the identity of the owner of the property. The initials ARV are thought to refer to Aulus Rustius Verus, a rich politician, mentioned in propaganda of the period.

The wealthy citizens who owned houses in Pompeii and Herculaneum would have been familiar with the stories of Helen of Troy, Paris, Cassandra and Apollo, as High Roman society was steeped in Greek mythology.

Home décor!

Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the archaeological park, was keen to “paint his own picture” in words when talking about the uncovered room. “The black walls and the flickering light of oil lamps would create the illusion of the paintings moving… especially after a few glasses of good Campanian wine!” he said with a smile.

He also argued that the black colour scheme helped to hide the smoke from the lamps, commenting: “In the shimmering light, the paintings would have almost come to life”.

However, Ms Dunn countered that it was her belief that it would have been more likely to have been an aesthetic choice. “You’re walking into a room with an all-white floor, all-black walls; I mean, that’s something that would be impressive today and it definitely was back then!” she said.

Race to preserve

To preserve these findings, plaster glue has been injected to their rear to prevent them coming away from the walls. Masonry is being shored up with scaffolding and temporary roofing will be placed above.

Chief restorer Dr Roberta Prisco has been working flat out to try and prevent collapse. “We have a passion and a deep love for what we’re doing, because what we’re uncovering and protecting is for the joy also of the generations that come after us.”

What’s seems clear is that all the properties in the area were undergoing renovation at the time of the 79 A.D eruption. Which lasted for more than 24 hours and is said to have contained the power of thousands of nuclear bombs.  Fleeing workers left roof tiles stacked up neatly and their pots of lime mortar filled.

Latest in growing list

Last year a kitchen shrine adorned with serpents, a bakery, and more human skeletons were among new finds at the site buried under pumice and ash and these new excavations give a further snapshot of a lost Roman world.