After being trapped beneath volcanic ash for nearly two millennia, a series of massive frescoes was recently uncovered by a team of archeologists in Pompeii. Spanning three walls of a large banquet hall, the frescoes portray the followers of Dionysus — the Greek god of wine, fruit, fertility, and ecstasy — engaged in a cult ceremony.
The banquet hall is a fairly recent discovery in itself, having been unearthed as a part of the newly excavated House of Thiasus. The banquet hall and the frescoes are said to date back to 40-30 BCE, over 100 years before the city of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. According to the archeologists, the paintings provide a glimpse into the city’s ancient religious practices.
