New wonders and a splendid fresco of Phrixus and Helle emerge in Pompeii from the excavations of a house adjacent to that of Leda, Regio V, insula 6, to the south.
"History has repeated itself, it is a beautiful fresco, in excellent condition", announces the director of the Archaeological Park Gabriel Zuchtriegel, taking stock of the restoration, excavation and valorisation of Leda's House.
"That of Phrixus and Helle - said Zuchtriegel - is a widespread myth in Pompeii, but also current. They are two refugees at sea, brother and sister forced to escape because their stepmother wants to throw them out of the house and does so with deception and corruption. She falls into the water and drowns, in the fresco her face is covered by the waves, she is about to drown and holds out her hand towards her brother. A beautiful work in terms of color, liveliness and execution. We hope to make these two or three houses accessible soon."
Leda's house is not yet completely empty, she explains, the entire atrium, the room facing the street and the rest have been excavated, now the excavation has had to be moved back on both sides.
The fresco emerged in the house to the south, while in the house to the north the group of statuettes now under restoration was found in recent months.
The interventions are affecting the already known rooms of Leda's House (with the now famous sensual fresco in the cubicle of Leda and the swan) which started between 2018 and 2019 and are now expanding to the rooms of the two neighboring domus.
"There is the hypothesis that the fresco is the work of the same workshop active in Leda's house, or perhaps a single client."
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