In ancient Pompeii, a frescoed dining room with Trojan decor offers new perspectives

A frescoed dining room is the latest discovery in an excavation campaign aimed at consolidating an area of the site that was destroyed by a powerful eruption volcanic, and better preserve it.
Archaeologists working at the ancient site of Pompeii unveiled their latest discovery on Thursday: a formal dining room that offers a glimpse of the how some of the wealthier residents lived, or at least the art they could meditate on while snacking.
Painted dark black so that the soot from the Smoke from candles does not stain them, experts said, the walls are divided into panels. Several of them are decorated with couples associated with the Trojan War.
The dining room is part of an insula, the equivalent of a pie of houses, which was searched. as part of a project to consolidate the perimeter between the excavated and unexcavated areas of the city, part of which remains underground. The project will help to better preserve the site.
“People gathered for dinner after sunset; the flickering light from the lamps had the effect of making the images appear to be moving, especially after a few glasses of good Campanian wine,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said in a statement about the dining room "Mythological couples provided ideas for conversations about the past and life, but seemingly of a merely romantic nature. In reality, they refer to the relationship between the individual and destiny."
ImageLeda and Zeus, represented as a swan.Credit...Parco Archeologico di Pompei
ImageCassandra is one of the figures decorating the dining room.Credit...Parco Archeologico di Pompei
The couples include Helen of Troy and Paris, who is identified in the scene by a Greek inscription under her other name, Alexandros, while a panel on the same wall shows Helen's parents: Leda , queen of Sparta, and Zeus, represented as the swan who seduced her. Across the room, facing Helen, her servant, and Paris—and a dejected-looking dog—are Cassandra, who could see the future, alongside Apollo, who had cursed her for let his prophecies not be believed.
The map locates the ancient site of Pompeii, southeast of Naples, Italy. He also locates Mount Vesuvius, northwest of Pompeii.
10 miles

World Apr 12, 2024 0 17 Add to Reading List

In ancient Pompeii, a frescoed dining room with Trojan decor offers new perspectives

A frescoed dining room is the latest discovery in an excavation campaign aimed at consolidating an area of the site that was destroyed by a powerful eruption volcanic, and better preserve it.

Archaeologists working at the ancient site of Pompeii unveiled their latest discovery on Thursday: a formal dining room that offers a glimpse of the how some of the wealthier residents lived, or at least the art they could meditate on while snacking.

Painted dark black so that the soot from the Smoke from candles does not stain them, experts said, the walls are divided into panels. Several of them are decorated with couples associated with the Trojan War.

The dining room is part of an insula, the equivalent of a pie of houses, which was searched. as part of a project to consolidate the perimeter between the excavated and unexcavated areas of the city, part of which remains underground. The project will help to better preserve the site.

“People gathered for dinner after sunset; the flickering light from the lamps had the effect of making the images appear to be moving, especially after a few glasses of good Campanian wine,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said in a statement about the dining room "Mythological couples provided ideas for conversations about the past and life, but seemingly of a merely romantic nature. In reality, they refer to the relationship between the individual and destiny."

ImageLeda and Zeus, represented as a swan.Credit...Parco Archeologico di Pompei

ImageCassandra is one of the figures decorating the dining room.Credit...Parco Archeologico di Pompei

The couples include Helen of Troy and Paris, who is identified in the scene by a Greek inscription under her other name, Alexandros, while a panel on the same wall shows Helen's parents: Leda , queen of Sparta, and Zeus, represented as the swan who seduced her. Across the room, facing Helen, her servant, and Paris—and a dejected-looking dog—are Cassandra, who could see the future, alongside Apollo, who had cursed her for let his prophecies not be believed.

The map locates the ancient site of Pompeii, southeast of Naples, Italy. He also locates Mount Vesuvius, northwest of Pompeii.

10 miles