Vivid frescoes depict the followers of Dionysus.

Archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed a large fresco cycle that sheds new light on religious rituals in the ancient city, the site said on Wednesday.

The frieze, which dates to the first century BC, was discovered in a banquet hall in the Regio IX area of Pompeii, which was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The frescoes represent scenes of the initiation rites into the Greco-Roman cult of Dionysus, known as the Dionysian Mysteries, for followers of the ancient Greek god of wine-making and religious ecstasy.

The frieze of almost life-size dimensions, or “megalography”, dates to 40-30 BC and was found in the newly christened House of Thiasos, more than a century after the discovery of the nearby Villa of the Mysteries in 1909.

Pompei, emerge nella Regio IX una sala affrescata con iniziazione ai misteri e corteo di Dioniso. pic.twitter.com/SoAk22FhtX

— Pompeii Sites (@pompeii_sites) February 26, 2025

The unearthed images portray followers of Dionysus, dancers, female hunters with sacrificed animals, and satyrs with pointed ears, the Italian culture ministry said in a statement.

Hailing the "historic" discovery, culture minister Alessandro Giuli said the fresco "opens another window into the rituals of the mysteries of Dionysus" and, along with the Villa of the Mysteries, "makes Pompeii an extraordinary testimony to an aspect of life in classical Mediterranean times that is largely unknown."

For more details of the discovery see the Pompeii website or tune in to Italian state television channel RAI 1 to watch Alberto Angela's special programme Pompei, una grande scoperta on Wednesday 26 February at 21.30.

Photo Archaeological Park of Pompeii