5 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A stunning fresco depicting Helen of Troy is revealed during excavations at the ancient Roman city

Archeologists have uncovered remarkably preserved ‘fresco’ paintings on a wall in the banqueting room of a large house along Via di Nola, one of Pompeii’s longest streets.

In a recently excavated area of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists have discovered exquisitely preserved frescoes in the banqueting hall known as the “Black Room.” It’s being called the black room because it was painted black, likely to mask soot from oil lamps that would have burnt. Conversely, the room’s mosaic floor is comprised of more than a million tiny and intricately arranged white tiles.

 It is the most recent amazing discovery from Pompeii, nearly entirely preserved beneath the ash and pumice left behind by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in AD 79.

The two frescoes, which are painted on the hall’s walls, show scenes from Greek mythology and literature. One of the stunning artworks depicts Helen of Troy, a beautiful woman in Greek mythology, meeting Paris, the prince of Troy, for the first time. According to legend, the resulting elopement between the two sparked the Trojan War.

The frescos have been discovered in the 'black room', an 'imposing' banquet hall with elegant black walls at a former private residence along Via di Nola. Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii
The frescos have been discovered in the ‘black room’, an ‘imposing’ banquet hall with elegant black walls at a former private residence along Via di Nola. Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii

The second fresco depicts the Trojan priestess Cassandra seated, while the god Apollo, one arm resting on a lyre, attempts to seduce her. When she rejects the god, he dooms her to proclaim prophecies that will never be believed.

The “Black Room” is only a portion of a larger home that archaeologists have been excavating for a year. It was discovered inside a residential and commercial district known as Region Nine. The house featured a garden and reception room; next door was a bakery where skeletons and a shrine had been discovered; next to the bakery was a laundry.

A second newly-discovered fresco in the black room, meanwhile, depicts the naked Greek god Apollo trying to seduce the priestess Cassandra. Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii
A second newly-discovered fresco in the black room, meanwhile, depicts the naked Greek god Apollo trying to seduce the priestess Cassandra. Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii

Archaeologists suspect that these three areas—the house, bakery, and laundry—were owned by the same person. They have also found the initials “ARV” on walls and millstones.

“We know who ARV is: he’s Aulus Rustius Verus,” the archaeological park of Pompeii archaeologist Sophie Hay told the BBC. “We know him from other political propaganda in Pompeii. He’s a politician. He’s super-rich. We think he may be the one who owns the posh house behind the bakery and the laundry.”

Archaeological Park of Pompeii

Cover Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii

Related Articles

The Tomb of Prince with a Monumental Pink Granite False Door Unearthed in Saqqara

23 April 2025

23 April 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery, an Egyptian team has unveiled the tomb of Prince Waser-If-Re, son of Pharaoh Userkaf, the...

Hoysala temples inch closer towards UNESCO recognition

7 February 2022

7 February 2022

The Indian Union government recently proposed the Somanathapura temple in Mysuru district and Chennakeshava and Hoysaleshwara temples in Belur and...

Extraordinary 27,000-Year-Old Gravettian Female Figurine Head Discovered at Amiens-Renancourt, Northern France

9 July 2025

9 July 2025

Recent archaeological excavations at the Amiens-Renancourt 1 site in northern France have unveiled an extraordinary Gravettian-era female figurine head, dating...

Anthropologists say humans have been using personal ornaments to communicate about themselves without the fuss of conversation – for millennia

24 September 2021

24 September 2021

Anthropologists believe that for millennia, individuals have used personal decorations to communicate about themselves without the hassle of dialogue. They...

Archaeologists discover a 4,000-year-old stone board game in Oman

10 January 2022

10 January 2022

The joint Polish-Omani archaeology team has discovered a 4,000-year-old stone board game whilst excavating a Bronze Age and Iron Age...

Lost 4,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Settlement Uncovered at Khaybar Oasis in Northern Saudi Arabia

31 October 2024

31 October 2024

A team of archaeologists led by Guillaume Charloux of France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) announced Wednesday the discovery...

Headless skeletons discovered in Prehistoric mass grave

14 January 2023

14 January 2023

Archaeologists have found a mass grave site containing 38 decapitated burials at a Neolithic settlement in Vráble, Slovakia. The remains...

Kurt Tepesi: The Silent Sentinel in the Shadows of Göbeklitepe and Karahan Tepe – Unearthing the Forgotten Sister

31 May 2025

31 May 2025

In the arid plains of southeastern Anatolia, a quiet giant slumbers. While Göbekli Tepe has dazzled archaeologists and the global...

Rare Astrolabe Discovered in Verona Sheds Light On Islamic, Jewish, and Christian Scientific Exchange

6 March 2024

6 March 2024

An eleventh-century rare astrolabe bearing Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions was recently discovered in a museum in Verona, Italy. It dates...

A huge artificial lake in Sicily is an ancient sacred pool that was aligned with the Stars and used 2,500 years ago, study reveals

17 March 2022

17 March 2022

A sacred freshwater pool on western Sicily’s San Pantaleo Island that dates back some 2,500 years was aligned with the...

A female executive’s seal from 3000 years ago was discovered in Turkey

29 October 2021

29 October 2021

During the excavations carried out in southeastern Turkey’s Gaziantep’s Karkamış (Carchemish) Ancient City, seals and prints determined to belong to...

First example of Roman crucifixion in UK discovered in Cambridgeshire village

8 December 2021

8 December 2021

In Cambridgeshire village, the earliest evidence of a Roman crucifixion has been discovered. Archaeologists investigating a previously unknown Roman roadside...

Women buried with thick twisted bronze neck rings and buckets on their feet found in Ukraine

20 January 2024

20 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered the remains of men buried with weapons such as axes, spearheads, and swords, and women buried with thick...

Researchers discovered clay tablets with ancient cuneiform writing, a game board, and large structural remains in Kurd Qaburstan

16 January 2025

16 January 2025

Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, associate professor of history at the University of Central Florida (UCF), and a researchers team have made important...

Mystery of Knaresborough Roman hoard revealed by Newcastle experts

13 January 2024

13 January 2024

Archaeologists at Newcastle University have investigated one of the most unusual late-Roman metalware ever discovered in the British Isles. Although...