Newly Discovered Large-Scale Pompeii Frescoes

Buried almost 2,000 years beneath volcanic ash, a unique room has just emerged into the light. Its red cinnabar colors are electrifying. Its walls hold stories of the god Dionysus and luxurious life in Roman Pompeii, and we're among the first to step inside. Okay, one of the greatest discoveries in Pompeii, and it is currently being restored, and it is one of the greatest things you've ever seen in Pompeii. The level of preservation is incredible, and the subject matter is engaging. Can't wait to share more. Welcome to Pompeii's newest wonder. Amygdala Dionysiac themed room, dated to the 40s and 30s BC. An elaborate painted space featuring rarely produced, larger-than-life mythological scenes, found in the ongoing excavations near the Regio 9 Insula 10, part of the newly named House of Theassos, after these frescoes. This isn't just another villa room. It's a window into elite Roman imagination, a visual banquet of art, identity, and indications of ritual. All right, talk about exclusive access right here in this incredible hall, and it is a megalith of Theassos, where we have these large-scale figures. There's nothing like it from ancient Roman times and Roman Pompeii, except for the Mysteries Hall. So this is a really amazing discovery. Truly, truly amazing, impressive level of preservation. But the boar bones were here, and they've robbed out the marble floor. There's a lot of history to discover in this ongoing investigation. So before diving into the details of this site, let's look closely at two examples of large-scale painted frescoes from the ancient world. Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii, and the Bosca Reale Villa of Publius Fanius to have been dispersed in various collections around the world, including Naples and the New York Met. The Villa of the Mysteries, the Room of the Mysteries, still captivates, still is a big question mark. What exactly is going on here? Recently restored. It's a great experience when you come to Pompeii, to come to this extra urban villa and experience the mystery yourself. Let's marvel at these enigmatic scenes from the villa. Dating to 80 to 70 BC, it's second style Pompeian wall painting, with large-scale figures crossing the threshold into the realm of the gods. On the one hand, there are daily life scenes in the home, with attendants and women brushing their hair, also scenes of preparation for a wedding. Then the central protagonist in this triclinium hall is Dionysus and his bride Arianna, flanked by attendants, including a Silenus figure. There is an adjacent scene of a girl being whipped by a winged figure, nearby the covered sacred phallus. These are images that hint at a ritual, though no true revelation is taking place because the scenes are in a dining room. Still, it does refer to the worship and initiation of the Dionysian cult, which would have been dear to the owner of the villa. These scenes and their production are roughly contemporary in theme and date with the newly discovered Megalophia scene, dated to the 40s BC. In each case, definitely they refer to the ties of the homeowner to the cult of Dionysus. Why this grand scale? And why is each cycle in a dining room? These are open-ended questions, but certainly it was not a standard production in terms of the limited number of this scale of figures found in the ancient world. Let's look at a number of contemporary scenes in another banquet hall from the nearby Bosco Reale Villa of Publius Fanius Sinisterum of circa 50 BC. In this case, the large-scale figures with specific Macedonian decorative elements are considered to be a copy of a large-scale painting from the Hellenistic era. Note the guitar player, seated nude figure, woman holding a shield, and the representation of Asia. In the cases of all three cycles, there are visible elements of repair work. Obviously, these rooms were preserved by the later owners of the homes until their destruction, always in AD 79. They are all late second-style frescoes with faux architectural features, columns that cast shadows, and other trompe l'oeil effects. Now let's go back to the newly discovered hall. Let's keep in mind that we have a row of columns on three sides of this hall that was once roofed. The real columns are in turn mirrored by a row of painted columns. Interspersed between these columns are a series of figures that are located on painted statue bases. Note that this wall was ongoing a restoration. These two figures are outlined to be repainted, and this door has been blocked. From left to right, we can identify menhans, a top-painted statue bases that are the attendants of Dionysus, who are overcome with the god's power to rip apart, later on, animals and sacrifice to the deity. The Casa del Fiaso, House of Fiasos, gives the name to this newly uncovered house in reference to the ecstatic retinue of the worshippers that accompany Dionysus. They are in ecstasy, reveling in the god with dancing and music playing, always under the influence of alcohol, the wine that Dionysus brought to the world. The central figure, in contrast, looks out to us. Is she, like Ariana, a god from the Villa of the Mysteries? More likely, she's the owner of the house, so many important to the premises of the domus. She's probably an initiate to the cult. She's definitely, as she looks out, communicating to the viewer, and as she leans on a mythic Solanus figure, an attendant of Dionysus, she's definitely in the realm of ritual and belief. Above is a series of still lifes, depicting, with lifelike accuracy, various foods and animals. The items alternate between creatures and food on land and on sea. They are scenes of abundance that may tie to the rites and offerings that link the worshippers to the god Dionysus. An analysis suggests that many of the eels were not from the region, implying that they were copied from other works, maybe from pattern books. This room was meant to dazzle with the figures and the food displays. The link between the displayed foods and the Dionysian figures is not immediately clear. Their meaning may be multiple, offerings to the god, and at the same time, images of what was to be served to the guests in the room. The investigation of this newly discovered room has only just begun. A recently published article on Pompeisites.org shows that researchers have taken a look at the pigments used in the painting of the frescoes, and the results are stunning. The red is made from high-grade cinnabar, rare and expensive. The blues, well that's one of the earliest synthetic pigments in the ancient world. Yellow and orange colors were derived from mineral ochres. So we can't just think of these colors as colors alone. It's a palette of power chosen to evoke the divine, the exotic, and the eternal. They also underline the resources, connections, and taste of the room's owner. We don't know who owned this luxurious domus. It certainly was a rich patron, as the investigations of the rest of the house have revealed a large bath complex. This was a Roman family tied to civic office, trade, and probably public religious activity. The mythological program also suggests a person deeply versed in cultural references and eager to be seen as such. Further investigations of the house revealed that in the final years, it was undergoing a comprehensive restoration. There are plenty of building materials on site and signs of ongoing updating of the rooms. No one was living in the house at the time of the Still, it is this impressive megalithia room that was painstakingly being restored, underlining its importance for the owners, as it was already a hundred years old at the time of Pompeii's destruction. In a city buried and broken, this room still speaks. Its colors still glow. Its myths still breathe. Pompeii reminds us that art survives and inspires through the ages. Also in our busy 21st century lives. A special thanks to Pompeii Sites and Director Zuttrigo for the hospitality and exceptional access. I encourage you all not just to visit and explore Pompeii, but to also discover the other sites of Pompeii Sites, like the villas of Castellammare di Stabia, the farmhouse in Villa Regina, Villa Oplontis, and so much more. Thanks for watching and subscribing.