Dining hall with Trojan War artworks uncovered in Pompeii
- The 2,000-year-old paintings inspired by the Trojan War were found during excavations at the Roman city of Pompeii, Italy
- Pompeii and the surrounding countryside was submerged by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, killing thousands of Romans
A black-walled dining hall with 2,000-year-old paintings inspired by the Trojan War has been discovered during excavations at the Roman city of Pompeii, authorities said on Thursday.
The size of the room – about 15 metres long and 6 metres wide – the quality of the frescoes and mosaics from the time of Emperor Augustus, and the choice of characters suggest it was used for banquets, Pompeii Archaeological Park said.
“The walls were painted black to prevent the smoke from the oil lamps being seen on the walls,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, head of the park, said.
“People would meet to dine after sunset, and the flickering light of the lamps had the effect of making the images appear animated, especially after a few glasses of good Campanian wine.”
Pompeii and the surrounding countryside was submerged by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius exploded in AD 79, killing thousands of Romans who had no idea they were living beneath one of Europe’s biggest volcanoes.
