WELL-PRESERVED FRESCOES DISCOVERED BY ARCHEOLOGISTS IN POMPEII

Archaeologists are still in awe of Pompeii nearly 2,000 years after it was destroyed. There are a lot of clues about life in ancient Rome in the ash-covered port city from Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 CE. These historical relics, which range from bakeries and snack shops to elaborately decorated homes, are essential to our comprehension of the past. Excavating the Insula of the Casa dei Casti Amanti in the city centre has now revealed another residence with well-preserved paintings. 

Although Pompeii is renowned for its expansive, opulent homes with open atriums, this "tiny home" demonstrates a change in Roman architecture. Even though there would have been room for an atrium, it does not have one, even though the quality of its murals is comparable to that of larger homes. Scholars are currently researching this change and comparing it to contemporary changes in domestic life.

"The 'open kitchen,' which in the post-war era would have seemed like an unacceptable fall from grace for a 'good family,' is completely normal today; in fact, it expresses a way, not only of organising the living space but of being together," they write in Pompeii's online academic journal. “Today, we don’t just meet to ‘eat together;’ we also socialise by cooking together.”

The fresco alone would make the House of Phaedra fascinating, but it's just one of many that decorate the house's walls in the elaborate Fourth Style of Pompeii. Additional scenes feature a nymph and a satyr having fun, a divine couple that could be Venus and Adonis, and a damaged piece of art that looks to be The Judgement of Paris.