About
Rare specimens of old Roman art can be found in this remarkably well-preserved mansion outside of Pompeii.
When Pompei, Herculaneum, and other neighboring cities were destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, Villa dei Misteri was buried beneath hundreds of feet of ash and volcanic waste. However, the villa was largely unharmed, and its historic frescoes were wonderfully unharmed. They are among the rare surviving examples of Roman painting in existence today. The villa's name, which translates to "Villa of the Mysteries," was inspired by several frescoes from the first century. They show what is believed to be a ritual for a young woman's initiation into a Greco-Roman mystery cult, an esoteric religious current that was immensely popular in the ancient world. It appears that this particular religion is devoted to Bacchus, the deity of wine, fertility, and spiritual ecstasy.
