Unseen Pompeii banquet hall offers feast for the eyes

A banqueting hall replete with frescoes depicting characters from the Trojan war has been unearthed among the ruins of Pompeii, in what has been described as one of the most striking discoveries ever made at the archaeological site in southern Italy.

- Angela Giuffrida 

The room, which measures 15 metres by six metres, was found in a former private residence in Via di Nola, ancient Pompeii's longest road, during excavations in the Regio IX area of the site.

Named for the colour of its walls probably intended to mask the soot from burning oil lamps - the "black room" seems to have been a "refined setting for entertaining during convivial moments", experts said.

Its artworks feature mythical characters, including one of Helen of Troy meeting Paris, prince of Troy, for the first time. According to Greek legend, the pair's elopement triggered the Trojan war in the 12th century BC.

Another fresco depicts the Greek god Apollo wooing Cassandra. In his efforts to seduce her, Apollo gave his priestess the power to foresee the future, but when she rejected him he cursed her so that nobody would believe her predictions. As a result, she was unable to thwart the tragic events of a battle she had prophesied. After being raped during the capture of Troy, Cassandra was enslaved.