Erotic paintings and mythological frescoes in a small house, the new discovery in Pompeii | Culture

A small independent house, very small in size and richly decorated with erotic paintings and mythological frescoes, is the latest discovery in Pompeii. The building, found on the Insula of the Chaste Lovers, in the central district of the ancient city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79, surprises archaeologists due to the “high level of decoration on its walls, which has nothing “We have to envy the larger and richer House of Painters at Work, which it adjoins,” as read in the statement from the archaeological center announcing the discovery.

The House of Phaedra, as Pompeii experts have provisionally named it, has decorated walls showing scenes from classical myths: an image of a symplegma (a sex scene) between Satyrus and Nymph, a painting with a divine couple who, according to archaeologists, may be Venus and Adonis; a scene badly damaged by Bourbon explorations, which could be the trial of Paris, and a well-preserved fresco of Hippolytus and Phaedra, after which the house has been named.

In addition to the paintings, the construction has caught the attention of archaeologists for not having the traditional atrium, typical of the architecture of rich Pompeian residences—used to collect rainwater. A choice that, according to the archaeological center’s statement published this Thursday, may be related to “the changes that Roman society, and in particular Pompeian society, went through during the 1st century and that this discovery allows us to study and deepen.”

The house also has a small patio where works were being carried out at the time of the volcano eruption, characterized at the entrance by the presence of a small lararium (domestic altar) with rich painting. Inside the niche, ritual objects were found that contained the last offering before the catastrophe: a colorless ceramic censer with ancient holes and a lamp, both with obvious traces of burning.

A few months ago, the archaeological center opened the Insula de los Castos Amantes to the public., where the house was found. Thanks to an accessibility project and a system of suspended walkways, the site can be visited from above to witness the ongoing research and restoration activities. “The tour from the heights will allow an innovative and global vision of the entire island, as well as the architecture of the Roman houses with the alternation of various environments intended for different uses, from productive to commercial to residential, as well as the work activity in progress, with a view to renewed and better use by the public,” the center explained in the statement about the opening in May 2024. The project, for Gabriel Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the park, “is an example of circular archeology: conservation, research, management, accessibility and use form a virtuous circuit.”