1-155-775 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries, dedicated to the rites of Dionysius, Pompeii, Italy, c1st century BC-1st century AD. Detail showing two matrons and a servant, and a child reading a ritual of initiation. Pompeii was buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash by a catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The site of the town was rediscovered in 1748, and subsequent excavations revealed buildings and artefacts in a remarkably well preserved state.