News from Italy
Trojan War discovered in Pompeii
Vita gazette – Pompeii, a hall decorated with subjects inspired by the Trojan War, emerges from the new excavations. Among the characters depicted are Helen and Paris, the Trojan prince who kidnapped Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, starting the Trojan War. The frescoes also depict the god Apollo and Paris’ sister, Cassandra, from whom he received the ability to predict the future. However, his prophecies would never have been believed, not even by his family.
An imposing banquet hall, with elegant black walls decorated with mythological subjects inspired by the Trojan War, was recently discovered during excavation activities in insula 10 of the Regio IX of Pompeii.
It is a refined environment in which to spend convivial moments between banquets and conversations, in which one could breathe the high standard of living demonstrated by the spaciousness of the space, the presence of frescoes and mosaics dating back to the III style, the artistic quality of the paintings, and the choice of subjects.
The dominant theme seems to be that of heroism, for the depictions of couples of heroes and divinities of the Trojan War, but also of fate and, at the same time, the possibility, often not grasped, that man has of being able to change his destiny.
In addition to Helen and Paris, indicated in a Greek inscription between the two figures with his other name, “Alexandro”, the figure of Cassandra, daughter of Priam, paired with Apollo, appears on the hall’s walls. In Greek mythology, Cassandra is known for her gift of foresight and the terrible fate that prevents her from changing the future. Despite her ability to see beyond the present, no one believes her words due to a curse that Apollo inflicts on her for not giving herself to him. Therefore, she will not be able to prevent the tragic events of the Trojan War, which she had predicted. After being raped during the conquest of Troy, she ends up AgamaAgamemnon’se in Mycenae.
The frequent presence of mythological figures in Roman homes, which were living and convivial environments, had the social function of entertaining guests and diners, providing ideas for conversation and reflection on existence.
The hall measures approximately 15 meters long by 6 meters wide and opens into a courtyard that appears to be an open-air service hallway. A long staircase leads to the first floor, which is devoid of decoration.
Under the stair staircases, an enormous pile of construction material was found set aside. Someone had drawn two pairs of gladiators and what appears to be a massive stylized phallus in charcoal on the rough plaster of the arches of the grand staircase.
The excavation in the area revealed two houses connected, a home with a bakery and a fullonica (laundry), which overlooked Via Nola and whose facades had already been brought to light at the end of the 19th century. Behind these two houses, sumptuous, frescoed living rooms emerged in this excavation phase, which was also affected by essential renovation works at the time of the eruption.