the.com/villa of the mysteries
pompeii's ancient instagram wall, minus the filters, plus one very unimpressed dog on a leash.
means a lavishly frescoed roman villa outside pompeii whose murals seem to depict a woman's initiation into a secret dionysiac cult.
from excavated in 1909 just outside pompeii's city walls, the villa gets its modern name from a single room whose life-sized murals show a ritual so cryptic archaeologists still argue over what exactly is happening in it.
buriedpreserved intact by vesuvius's ash in 79 ad
figures29 life-sized human figures painted around one room
debatescholars still dispute whether it depicts marriage or cult initiation
pigmentthe red background is one of antiquity's most famous colors
for instance
the dionysiac frieze — the megalography room, painted around 60-50 bc
pompeii excavations — villa sits just outside the herculaneum gate, found 1909
getty villa — 1970s malibu museum modeled partly on this villa's layout