A new 50-room villa complete with stunning frescoes presenting the cult of Dionysus was found in Pompeii in what is regarded as once in a hundred years find. The discovery emerged from recent excavations at the Pompeii archaeological site. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli called the discovery "historic," stating, that “in 100 years, today will be regarded as historic because the discovery we are showing is historic,” according to ANSA.
These excavations in Regio IX unveiled over 50 rooms, marking the first such find in Pompeii in a hundred years, as covered by La Stampa. The newly unearthed villa, named the House of the Tiaso, contains a vivid Dionysian frieze dating from 40-30 BCE. This frieze, attributed to the Second Style of Pompeian painting, depicts a near life-sized procession of Dionysian revelers, covering three walls in a lavish banquet hall, with the fourth wall opening onto a garden, mirroring the design of the original Villa of the Mysteries, noted Archéologia Viva.
“Beauty and knowledge once again win above all, and the light of civilization can be seen in these frescoes; these extraordinary places can still brighten our lives and consciences,” Giuli affirmed during a visit to the site noted by ANSA.
A central feature of the fresco is a procession of almost life-sized Bacchae depicted as both dancers and fierce huntresses, embodying the wild and untamed side of womanhood. Accompanying them are young satyrs with pointed ears, some portrayed playing the double flute. One satyr performs a wine sacrifice with acrobatic flair, pouring a stream of wine behind his shoulders from a drinking horn into a shallow cup, or patera.
At the focal point of the composition, a woman holding a torch stands poised for initiation into the Dionysian Mysteries. This nocturnal ritual marks her entrance into the secrecy of the Dionysian cult, which promised not only spiritual enlightenment but also the hope of a blessed afterlife.
The dining room where the grand fresco resides was designed as a lavish setting for banquets, festivals, and other gatherings, claimed Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the German director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, noted Stern. He mentioned that the frescoes possess a "profoundly religious significance."
In a further expression of the wild and untamable, select figures are shown poised on pedestals, as if statues, their movements and attire seemingly vibrant and alive despite their stationary stone foundation. This dichotomy of stillness and vitality echoes the dual nature of Dionysian worship itself, a juxtaposition of revelry with primal sacrifice, crucial to understanding the artistic narrative conveyed with clarity in the frescoes.
Visitors can access the excavation site with prior reservations, allowing public engagement with these extraordinary frescoes, reported Il Messaggero.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.