A small house with erotic frescoes is the latest discovery in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Experts say the ornate residence, called the House of Phaedra after the mythological queen of Athens, sheds light on the changing architectural styles in the first century AD, but is also further evidence that the inhabitants of Pompeii had an appetite for sensual art. had.
The brightly colored murals include one depicting a sexual encounter between a satyr and a nymph on a bed and one of a scantily clad Phaedra and her stepson Hippolytus, who, according to Greek legend, she accused of rape after he raped her rejected approach. Another fresco features deities believed to be Venus and Adonis.
Despite its small size, the residence “strikes us for the high level of its wall decorations”, the archaeological park of Pompeii said in a statement, adding that the frescoes are comparable to those found in more opulent houses.
Unlike other houses in the ancient city, which were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the house was not built around the traditional atrium, a central courtyard with a pool used to collect rainwater that typical of Roman architecture from the sixth century BC.
Popular scenes were present in homes across all sections of society and public spaces in Pompeii, and were not considered scandalous or shameful.
One of the most striking frescoes excavated features a large phallus. The statue was found in an ornate house known as the House of the Vettii, owned by two men freed from slavery and discovered in a largely preserved state during excavations in the late 19th century.
The fresco was found on a wall in the entrance of the house and shows Priapus, the god of fertility and abundance, with a large penis balancing on a scale next to a bag full of money, which is thought to have symbolized the wealth that was accumulated by the men. . It was not unusual for freed slaves to prosper in Pompeii.
Art depicting homoerotic scenes has also been discovered, including a statue found in the House of the Golden Bracelet, one of Pompeii’s richest houses, representing a young man who would have served his master at banquets, as well than sexual.
