The “Black Room,” adorned with stunning frescoes inspired by the Trojan War, is considered one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries ever made at Pompeii.
Nearly 2,000 years after being buried by volcanic lava, the lost city of Pompeii continues to astonish archaeologists with new findings.
Fresco depicting Helen meeting Paris, the prince of Troy, for the first time. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images).
While working at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii (Italy) – one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, archaeologists discovered a dining room with black-painted walls adorned with exquisite frescoes depicting mythological figures associated with the Trojan War.
This dining room, referred to as the “Black Room,” was found in an ancient private villa on Via di Nola, one of the longest streets of ancient Pompeii.
One of the frescoes depicts the meeting between Helen and Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, identified by a Greek inscription that refers to him as “Alexandros” (another name for Paris).
In Greek mythology, Paris’s abduction of Helen incited Menelaus, her Greek husband, to fury, sparking the Trojan War around the 12th century BC.
Another fresco depicts the Greek god Apollo attempting to woo the priestess Cassandra, daughter of Priam, who appears disinterested.
Fresco depicting the Greek god Apollo trying to woo the priestess Cassandra. (Source: Reuters).
According to legend, Apollo promised to grant Cassandra the valuable gift of prophecy if she accepted his advances. Cassandra agreed, but later dreamed that Apollo would abandon her, leading her to reject him. In anger, Apollo cursed her to ensure that no one would believe her prophecies. Consequently, the priestess was unable to prevent the downfall of Troy, which she had foretold.
The third fresco in the Black Room illustrates Leda, the mother of Helen of Troy, embracing a swan.
Dr. Andrew Sillett, a lecturer at the University of Oxford, explained: “The swan is actually Zeus, the lord of Mount Olympus.”
Fresco depicting Leda, the mother of Helen of Troy, about to conceive with the Greek god Zeus disguised as a swan. (Source: Archaeological Park of Pompeii).
According to the myth, Leda was the wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, who was infatuated with her and seduced her in the guise of a swan. Subsequently, Leda became pregnant with an egg, from which the twins Castor and Polydeuces hatched.
Dr. Sillett described these frescoes as “quite remarkable” because they may have been created close to the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, noted that the lavishly decorated dining room aimed to create an elegant atmosphere with mythological figures, serving not only for entertainment but also as conversation starters during feasts.
“People would gather for dinner after sunset. The flickering light from the lamps illuminated the images, making them appear to move, especially after a few glasses of fine Campanian wine,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel stated, adding: “The black-painted walls of the dining room may have been intended to hide soot marks from the oil lamps used for lighting.”
Meanwhile, the dining room floor was intricately mosaicked with over a million tiny white tiles arranged in complex patterns.
A press release from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii reported that the Black Room measures approximately 15 meters in length and 6 meters in width, opening up to an inner courtyard with a long staircase leading to the second floor.
The intricately decorated Black Room offers an elegant setting for entertainment. (Source: Archaeological Park of Pompeii).
On the plaster of the staircase arch, someone had used charcoal to draw two pairs of gladiators and a stylized image resembling a large phallus.
Underneath the arch, a large pile of construction materials was also found.
The ancient city of Pompeii was completely destroyed and buried by a two-day eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, lying beneath 18 meters of ash and pumice.
This ruin remained forgotten for the next 1,700 years until it was unexpectedly rediscovered in 1748.
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii states that the site contains 1,070 houses with over 13,000 rooms, as well as public and sacred spaces. This latest discovery was made during a major ongoing excavation.
Other findings revealed in the excavation area so far include two interconnected houses, a bakery, a laundry room, and a living room decorated with beautiful frescoes.
