Researchers at the Pompeii Archaeological Park have restored sections of a large fresco depicting the Greek god Dionysus and Ariadne, originally set into the vaulted ceiling of a banquet hall in the Casa con Pacificio (House with Bakery), the park announced via social media in late July 2026.
Pompeii researchers restore fresco of Dionysus and Ariadne from collapsed banquet hall ceiling
Researchers at the Pompeii Archaeological Park have restored sections of a large fresco depicting the Greek god Dionysus and Ariadne, originally set into the vaulted ceiling of a banquet hall in the Casa con Pacificio (House with Bakery), the park announced via social media in late July 2026.
The restored ceiling is on display at the Palestra Grande of the Excavations, following the International Workshop Pompeii: Excavations and Ongoing Research, held in the park's auditorium.
The fresco's central panel depicts the divine union of Dionysus and Ariadne — known as a hierogamy — showing Dionysus reclining in a chariot facing Ariadne, who is playing the harp. Ariadne is accompanied by a citharist, and the chariot is pulled by two musical centaurs. Surrounding the central panel are aedicules, garlands of fruit and flowers, allegorical figures of the seasons, winged genies, ritual symbols of the cult of Dionysus, theatrical masks, instruments for libations, and ornamental elements.
The decorative fragments were unearthed at the site of the building's ancient collapse. Because only fragments of the Dionysus-and-Ariadne panel survived, its reconstruction was carried out through comparison with other ancient works. Only fragments whose exact original location researchers could document and verify were used in the restoration, in accordance with conservation guidelines; remaining fragments are preserved separately.
The reconstruction used a curved, modular support and accounts for more than a quarter of the original mural, while allowing for future additions as research and excavations continue. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said in a July statement that the restoration process integrated conservation, archaeological study, and exhibition design.
Zuchtriegel also stated that the fresco's restoration is part of a series of studies on the Dionysian theme, which the Pompeii Archaeological Park selected as the guiding theme for its 2026 projects.
Separately, in May 2026 the park announced that one of the human casts found nearly 65 years ago in Pompeii's Garden of the Fugitives was identified as a doctor. New analyses of archaeological finds stored in the park's warehouses, including a small case found within the cast, led to the identification. The park said the box is made of organic material with metal elements and contains a fabric bag holding bronze and silver coins and a series of instruments compatible with a medical kit. X-ray and CT scans conducted at the Casa di Cura Maria Rosaria nursing home in Pompeii revealed the contents more clearly, including a small slate tablet used to prepare medical or cosmetic substances and small metal instruments believed to be surgical tools.
- The source does not state how many individual fragments were recovered from the collapsed banquet hall in total.
- The source does not state the dimensions of the original fresco or of the restored section.
- The source does not identify which other ancient works were used for comparative reconstruction of the central panel.
- The source does not state the funding source or total cost of the restoration project.
- The source does not state when the fresco fragments were first excavated or when restoration work formally began.
- The source does not name the researchers or conservators who carried out the restoration work beyond identifying Zuchtriegel as park director.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post