Pompeii archaeologists reconstruct frescoed ceiling of a banquet hall, with more fragments to come

ROME (AP) — Archaeologists in Pompeii, the ancient city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, have unveiled the partially reconstructed frescoed ceiling vault of a banquet hall featuring detailed images of Greek mythology.

The curved vault was presented late Thursday at the end of an international workshop on new discoveries and restorations in the excavations of Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is one of Italy’s most visited tourist attractions.

The archaeological park said Friday that it used an innovative method to reconstruct the ceiling, which is believed to have been from a banquet hall on the upper floor of a house with an adjoining bakery.

Experts created a curved support structure to place the fragments in the design that replicates the original shape of the vault. As new fragments of frescoes are found and restored, they can be added to the scene, the park said in a statement.

Archaeologists determined that the main theme of the work was of Dionysus and Ariadne, whose union is one of the best-known Greek myths.