Nearly two thousand years ago, a big volcanic eruption destroyed a beautiful painted ceiling in a Roman city. Now, experts are putting the ancient pieces back together.
Officials at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii recently showed a ceiling vault that has been partly rebuilt. The artwork was originally in a dining room in a building called the House with Bakery. This building was both a home and a place where people made bread.
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, it covered Pompeii with volcanic material. The eruption caused the dining room ceiling to fall down. Recently, archaeologists found the painted pieces on the floor exactly where they had fallen. This helped researchers know where the artwork belonged.
The restored parts show scenes from Greek mythology. In the middle is the story of Dionysus and Ariadne. Dionysus, the god of wine, is shown on a platform. He looks at Ariadne, who is holding a musical instrument. A winged person next to them is also playing music. Two centaurs are pulling the platform. The rest of the painting has flowers and items used in ancient ceremonies.
Rebuilding a broken ceiling is difficult. To fix this, specialists created a special curved frame that matches the original shape of the ceiling. This frame holds the recovered pieces in their correct places. Workers have rebuilt about a quarter of the whole painted surface.
The project is ongoing. The curved frame allows conservators to add more pieces if they find them. The Archaeological Park announced this during a conference about new discoveries at the site. Pompeii is a famous place in Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors will soon be able to see the restored ceiling.