Newly discovered Pompeii fresco sheds light on ancient Dionysian rituals

POMPEII, Italy - Archaeologists in Pompeii have discovered a new fresco, a type of mural painting, giving them more insight into the Dionysiac rituals in the ancient world.

Dig deeper:

Archaeologists found an almost life-size frieze, known as a "megalography" in an excavated banqueting room in Pompeii’s Region IX.

The megalography covers three sides of the room while the fourth side opens onto the garden.

The frieze portrays the procession of Dionysus, the god of wine. It also depicts the bacchantes (also known as maenads) as portrayed as dancers, but also as ferocious hunters with slaughtered kid goats on their shoulders or holding a sword and the innards of an animal; young satyrs with pointed ears play the double flute, while another performs a sacrifice of wine in acrobatic style, squirting wine behind him from a drinking horn into a patera (shallow bowl), according to Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

The center of the frieze shows a woman with an old Silenus who holds a torch, indicating that she is an initiate, a mortal woman who, through a nocturnal ritual, is about to be initiated into the mysteries of Dionysus, the god who dies and is reborn and who promises the same destiny to his followers.

Archaeologists have named the home with the frieze as the "Casa del Tiaso" (House of Thiasus). It's a reference to the Dionysiac procession (thiasos).

They believe the frize can be dated to the 40s-30s BC, which would be around the time of the eruption of Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii beneath a thick layer of pumice and ash in AD 79. 

What they're saying:

"In 100 years, today will be seen as historic," the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli said in a news release. "Because the discovery we are showing is historic. The megalograph found in insula 10 of Regio IX provides another glimpse into the rituals of the mysteries of Dionysus. 

What's next:

The newly discovered frieze will be on public display as part of excavation tours.