Archaeologists in Pompeii discovered a small ancient house with some amazing pictures

Archaeologists in Pompeii have found an unusual small house while excavating the site of the ancient Italian city, officials said. The home was buried under the ash and debris that destroyed Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD but the carvings on its interior walls were not intact.

The house was discovered during ongoing construction work in a part of the Pompeii Archaeological Park called the Insula dei Casti Amanti, or House of Chaste Lovers, the park said in a translated announcement. Its size was unusually small compared to others found in Pompeii, including others nearby, and what added to the intrigue was the fact that it contained such magnificent art inside.

The frescoes mainly depict scenes from ancient legends. Another well-preserved painting of Hippolytus and Phaedra, two characters from a Greek tragedy, gave this home its temporary name, the House of Phaedra. Hippolytus and Phaedra also appear in a small painting found elsewhere in the house.

In addition to those characters, archaeologists found a depiction of an embrace between a satyr — another figure from Greek mythology that is part-man, part-goat — and a nymph and one of two deities thought to be Venus and Adonis, the park said. One may be a depiction of the Judgment of Paris, the other a Greek myth, although this event was difficult to explain because the sculpture was damaged.

They found more paintings in the yard outside the home, which mainly consisted of depictions of plants and animals such as a bird of prey and two snakes facing each other. Snakes were placed around the altar, according to the park, and people would place offerings there.

Some items from the last offering before the explosion were still there. Archaeologists found a clay incense burner and a lamp, which contained traces of aromatic buds found through laboratory testing. They also found colored marble and a figure of a face associated with the Greek god Dionysus on the altar.

Park officials said the discovery of the ancient home, as well as the home itself, could help shed light on some of the changes Roman society faced in the first century of the common era, particularly in Pompeii, as it differed in architecture and style. its neighbors. A scientific paper discussing the unusual structure of the house was published in the digital magazine of the archaeological park dedicated to Pompeii.