Created more than a century before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E., the wall paintings provide rare insights into secret rituals conducted in the Roman city

The narrative draws from the ancient Greek play The Bacchae, written by Euripides in 405 BCE, wherein Dionysus descends on Thebes seeking retribution for slander against him. The

Archaeologists in Pompeii have uncovered rare, nearly life-sized frescoes that offer fresh insight into religious practices in the ancient city before it was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the site said on Wednesday.