Archaeologists have uncovered a vibrant red fresco during excavations of a villa believed to have belonged to Emperor Nero's second wife in Naples, southern Italy, according to local media.
The discovery's announcement follow the site’s partial opening to the public for the first time.
Villa Poppaea, the Roman “pleasure villa,” is part of the ancient Oplontis, an archaeological site set not far from Pompeii. Like Pompeii, it was destroyed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
The site was first discovered in the 16th century, though excavations only began in the 18th.
In 1974, archaeologists discovered the remains of a second building nearby (known as Villa B) believed to have been used for processing wine and oil. These remains are closed to the public.
“Each excavation is a surprise,” the site’s director, Arianna Spinosa, told AFP. “We certainly expected to find some of the frescoes that could be seen on the other wall, but the surprises were, of course, far more numerous.”
Peacocks, bright red, blue pigment
The fresco was reportedly found in the villa's main salon, depicting the legs and body of a peacock emerging from mud, against the backdrop of a yellow frieze.
Giuseppe Scarpati, the site's chief archaeologist, explained to AFP that the peacock,which is the sacred animal associated with the Roman goddess Juno, is “one of the decorative motifs that recurs very frequently in the decoration of the villa.”
“We don't know its boundaries to the north, east, or west,” Scarpatti explained to AFP, which further added that only 50%-60% percent of the villa has been excavated. “Potentially, the villa could still hold many surprises for us.”
Other finds reportedly include depictions of birds, fish, and fruit in vibrant pigments identified by archaeologists as “bright red cinnabar and Egyptian blue pigments,” according to Elena Gravina, the chief conservator of the villa.
AFP noted that Gravina further explained that such pigments were expensive at the time, and are a testament to the “commercial connections and the wealth of the patrons, as well as the skill and expertise of the artisans.”