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An ancient ballroom with black walls decorated with Trojan War figures has been discovered in Pompeii, Italy.
1 / 2Photo: Parco Archeologico Di Pompei/AFP/TT
Archaeologists exploring new sites in the Italian volcanic city of Pompeii have accidentally discovered an ancient banquet hall.
The banquet hall, which has a mosaic floor and walls decorated with frescoes inspired by the Trojan War, was discovered during a project to shore up the areas that divide the excavated and unexplored parts of Pompeii.
– The banquet hall was used for high-class entertainment and has black walls, a technique that prevented the smoke from oil lamps from showing, says Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological site.
The room is about 15 meters long and 6 meters wide, and among the figures painted on the black background are Helen the Fair of Troy and the god Apollo. According to experts, the illustrations with mythological figures were intended to entertain guests and serve as a topic of conversation.
Excavations at Pompeii, the ancient city near Naples that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, have recently focused on areas of the city where the middle class and servants lived. Previous excavations have concentrated on the ornate villas that belonged to Pompeii’s upper class.