Researchers have restored sections of a large fresco depicting the Greek god Dionysus and Ariadne of Pompeii’s Casa con Pacificio (House with Bakery”), the archaeological park announced in a post to social media in late July.
The restored ceiling is on display at the Palestra Grande of the Excavations, following the International Workshop Pompeii: Excavations and Ongoing Research, which was held in the park’s auditorium.
Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, is a son of Zeus and the Greco-Roman god of wine, madness, and revelry.
Ariadne, a princess of Crete, is the daughter of King Minos. She is famously known for helping Theseus escape the Minotaur in her father’s labyrinth before being abandoned by the Greek hero on an island.
Dionysus, seeing her on the island, fell in love and married her. According to several versions of the myth, Dionysus created the Corona Borealis constellation by throwing Ariadne’s crown into the sky.
Surviving fragments depict symbols of Dionysus
The fresco’s central panel focuses on their divine union (“hierogamy”), with Dionysus reclining in a chariot facing Ariadne, who is playing the harp.
Ariadne is accompanied by a citharist (player of the ancient Greek kithara instrument) while the chariot is pulled by two musical centaurs.
Surrounded the central panel is the portrayal of shrines (“aedicules”), garlands lavish with fruit and flowers, allegorical figures of the seasons, winged genies, ritual symbols of the cult of Dionysus, theatrical masks, instruments for libations, and numerous ornamental elements.
Though only fragments of the panel portraying Dionysus and Ariadne have survived, its reconstruction was possible through comparison with other ancient works.
Once set into the vaulted ceiling of a banquet hall located on the upper floor of the House, the decorative fragments were unearthed by archaeologists at the site of the building’s ancient collapse.
It has been carefully restored in fragments using a curved, modular support, which allowed for the reconstruction of over a quarter of the original mural, while giving space for the possibility of future additions as research and excavations continue.
Restoration began with the preliminary reassembly of the fresco, as well as developing a process that integrated conservation, archaeological study, and exhibition design for the completed piece, according to a July statement from Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of Pompeii Archaeological Park.
Though many fragments have been discovered at the site, only those researchers were able to figure out and document the exact location of were used in the restoration in order to comply with restoration and conservation guidelines.
These fragments are preserved separate to fragments not being used in the restoration effort.
According to Zuchtriegel, the fresco’s restoration is part of the series of studies on the Dionysian theme, chosen by the Pompeii Archaeological Park as the guiding theme for its 2026 projects.
Pompeii victim revealed to be a doctor fleeing Vesuvius’ eruption
Pompeii made the news back in May after one of the human casts found nearly 65 years ago in Pompeii’s Garden of the Fugitives was revealed to be a doctor caught amongst the fleeing crowd with a case of medical equipment.
The doctor’s identity was discovered follow new analyses of archaeological finds kept in the park’s storage warehouses, including a small case that had been hidden within the cast of one of the victims from the garden.
According to the park, the box is made of “organic material with metal elements” and holds a fabric bag filled with bronze and silver coins, and a “series of instruments compatible with a medical kit.”
Through X-ray and CT scans conducted at the Casa di Cura Maria Rosaria nursing home located in Pompeii, researchers were able to clearly define the medical instruments. Inside the case, they found a small slate tablet used to prepare medical or cosmetic substances, and small metal instruments believed to be surgical tools.