“EXCEPTIONAL” frescos of the Greek god of wine that reveal mystery cult rituals have been unearthed from ancient volcanic ash in Pompeii.
Covering three sides of a magnificent banquet hall, the almost life-size artworks show the procession of Dionysus followed by his female followers.
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At the centre of the image is a woman holding a torch who is about to be initiated into the cult of Dionysus.
The Greek god was thought to hold the power to die and be reborn, and promised the same destiny to his loyal followers.
Experts said the new discovery will help them learn more about ancient life and all its mysteries.
Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli said: “In 100 years’ time today will be seen as historic.”
A British archaeologist working in Pompeii, Sophie Hay, added: “These were mystery cults, so what they did remains a mystery, even in the ancient written sources.”
The find dates back to 40-30s BC, meaning that the frescos were already about 100 years old when Mount Vesuvius erupted.
Their good condition suggest they may be some of the last works of art to be made in Pompeii.
The discovery was made while carrying out excavations on the site.
The painting is the second of only two surviving artworks showing the god’s cult.
The first was uncovered in the Villa of the Mysteries, also in Pompeii.
What happened to Pompeii?
POMPEII was once a very prosperous ancient Roman city on the Gulf of Naples, in Italy’s Campania region.
On August 4 79 A.D., the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted and completely buried the Roman city under a thick carpet of ash, killing Pompeii’s population.
Around 2,000 people are believed to have been killed in Pompeii.
It was home to 11,000 people and boasted a complex water system, amphitheatre, gymnasium and even a port.
The thermal energy released was said to be a hundred thousand times that of the nuclear blasts at Hiroshima-Nagasaki.
Over the next 250 years, it was a hotbed of scientific activity, with researchers uncovering several intact buildings and even wall paintings.
To this day, scientists are finding cultural, architectural and human remains on the banks of Mount Vesuvius.
Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
The corpses of Pompeii residents were famously preserved in a protect casing of ash within which they slowly decayed.
The result allow us to see the positions in which people perished.
Since the mid 1800s, the voids left by the bodies have been filled with plaster to recreate their final moments.
Pompeii remains a well-preserved archaeological site, attracting tourists from across the world.
The site is still open to visitors but has restricted visitor numbers to no more than 20,000 a day.
The newly excavated room will be open for small groups from Thursday, with visitors able to view the frescos while archaeologists continue their work.
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