6The Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii, Italy

Preserved after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, the Villa of the Mysteries is a relatively large house in Pompeii, Italy. Built around a central courtyard, the villa is famous for the colourful frescoes decorating the walls of one of its guest halls.

The Dionysiac frieze is a long fresco, which spreads across three walls and is one of the best preserved ancient paintings. It shows a mysterious rite, with Dionysus and his wife, Ariadne, appearing in the central panel. The walls may depict an initiation into the the Dionysian mysteries or, as many modern historians believe, the rituals and traditions before the wedding of a young woman. The paintings date back to the 1st Century BCE, so were already reasonably old when the city was destroyed.

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