Doomed Pompeii’s secrets revealed in discovery of giant fresco of Roman god of wine

Almost two millennia after Mount Vesuvius erupted the vast secrets of Pompeii are still being discovered.

The Roman city was buried under a blanket of volcanic detritus in AD 79 and archaeologists thought they knew all there was about the fabled commune.

Yet centuries on, archaeologists are still unearthing her treasures.

The latest include a giant fresco representing the Roman god of wine in a discovery that historians say will broaden our understanding of the ancient world.

The unearthed murals depict the procession of Dionysus, the god of wine, and bacchantes portrayed as dancers and ferocious hunters. One is depicted carrying a slaughtered goat on her shoulders, another holding a sword and the innards of an animal.

Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological site, said: “These are important frescoes both in their size and content.”

Some 1,150 bodies have been discovered at Pompeii, most killed by exposure to volcanic lava flows of 250C (480F). People and buildings were buried in 6 metres of discharge from the eruption. 

Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, attracting 2.5 million visitors annually. Archeological work has forced numbers to be restricted to no more than 20,000 a day.

After numerous excavations prior to 1960 that had uncovered most of the city but left it in decay, further works were banned or limited to targeted, prioritised areas. In 2018, these led to new discoveries in some previously unexplored areas of the city which continues to this day.

The frieze can be dated to the 40-30s BC, meaning that at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius the painting was already about 100 years old.

Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli said: “In 100 years’ time today will be seen as historic. The megalography provides another glimpse into the rituals of the mysteries of Dionysus.”