The Villa of the Mysteries (Italian: Villa dei Misteri) is an ancient Roman villa located on the outskirts of Pompeii, southern Italy. It is known for the beautiful paintings in Room 5, which are often seen as showing a bride being introduced to a secret religious group from ancient Greece and Rome. These paintings are among the most famous surviving examples of Roman art from the 1st century BC.
Like the rest of Pompeii, the villa was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was uncovered by archaeologists starting in 1909. Today, the villa is a common stop for visitors to Pompeii and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site there. The Villa of the Mysteries has also appeared in music and books, such as the song "Slide" by Corde Oblique and the novel Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice.
Location
The villa is located about 400 meters northwest of the town walls, between the roads Via Delle Tombe and Via Superiore, which are lined with tombs and monuments leading to the Herculaneum Gate of Pompeii. It is close to the Villa of Diomedes and the so-called Villa of Cicero. The villa sits on a hill with a wide view of the modern Gulf of Naples. It is built on a slope and partially supported by a hidden underground room made of arches that do not open to the outside.
History
The villa was built in the 2nd century BC and became most famous during the Augustan age, when it was expanded and decorated with more features. However, recent research suggests it may have been built earlier, in the early 1st century BC, around the time of Sulla. This conclusion is based on evidence from layers of soil and the dating of Second Style frescoes, which are the oldest wall paintings in the villa and date to the early 1st century BC. After construction, the villa was a villa urbana, a type of suburban home with large rooms and hanging gardens, located in a scenic area. Following an earthquake in 62 AD, the villa, like much of the city, fell into poor condition. It was later changed into a villa rustica, with additions such as a wine press, and was primarily used for making and selling wine.
The owner of the villa is unknown, as is the case with many private homes in Pompeii. A bronze seal found in the villa mentions L. Istacidius Zosimus, a freedman from the powerful Istacidii family, who may have owned the villa or supervised its rebuilding after the 62 AD earthquake. The presence of a statue of Livia, the wife of Augustus, has led some historians to believe she may have previously owned the villa. The remains of a bronze-trimmed saddled horse have led some scholars to suggest that a high-ranking official, possibly a military leader, lived in the villa during its final years.
Discovery and excavation
The villa, originally named Villa Item after its discoverer, Aurelio Item, was found during an excavation between 1909 and 1910 by Giuseppe Spano. A more detailed study took place between 1929 and 1930 by Amadeo Maiuri, after the Italian government took control of the site. From 2013 to 2015, important repair and preservation work was done on the frescoes and floor mosaics. In 2017, illegal tunnels near the villa’s walls, used to steal items, were discovered. This led to an excavation in 2018 of the stables on the villa’s grounds, where archaeologists found the remains of harnessed horses.
Description
Although covered with many meters of pumice and ash, the Villa suffered only slight damage during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Most of its walls, ceilings, and especially its frescoes remained mostly undamaged.
The villa has more than 60 rooms. The ancient entrance, which is directly across from the modern entrance, had benches for waiting guests and led to service rooms, including a courtyard for storing and unloading goods, servants' quarters, and rooms for agricultural tools. A wine press found during excavations has been placed back in its original location. This was common, as homes of wealthy individuals often included areas for producing wine, olive oil, or other agricultural products.
After the entrance, visitors passed through the peristyle, the bathing and kitchen areas, and the main atrium with an impluvium that led to a triclinium connected to a portico with a view of the Gulf of Naples. Beyond the kitchen's courtyard was a pre-Roman bathhouse that later became storage. Room 5, which is decorated with the famous frescoes that give the villa its name, is located to the right of Room 4, a cubiculum often identified as a "nuptial chamber."
Although often thought to be a triclinium, Room 5 might have been a cubiculum or, as Brenda Longfellow suggests, a room used for multiple purposes by different family members at different times. Because its exact use is unclear, it is sometimes called an oecus, but this cannot be confirmed. Room 5 is located at the back of the villa near a peristyle with only one entrance and exit, making it one of the least accessible rooms in the villa. Due to its rich decoration and limited access, it is believed to have been used for special occasions with invited guests.
The bodies of two women and a child were found in lower pumice layers of the Villa, suggesting they were trapped during the early stages of the eruption. They were on the upper floor of the farm section, and plaster casts were made of them, as done in other parts of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Six bodies (one girl near the entrance, one woman, and four others in the cryptoporticus) were found in later, higher pyroclastic layers, indicating they survived the first part of the disaster.
Frescoes
The villa is named after the paintings in Room 5. These paintings are true frescoes from the Second Style, created around 70-60 BC. The subject of the frescoes is not fully agreed upon, but many believe they show a woman being initiated into marriage through the Dionysian Mysteries, a religious group that honored the god Bacchus. To join this group, specific rituals were required. A key sign that these scenes are related to Bacchus is the presence of maenads, who were female followers of the god. These figures are often shown dancing with flowing clothing in ancient Greek art. While interpretations of the frescoes vary, most scholars think they depict a religious ceremony. One common idea is that the frescoes show a bride preparing for marriage by joining the Bacchic Mysteries. In this view, the main figure’s elaborate clothing is thought to be wedding attire.
The frescoes were first found in 1909 but were quickly damaged by weather and an earthquake in June. Salt from the ground caused white stains on the paintings, and sunlight caused the colors to fade. To fix this, parts of the frescoes were removed and reattached after the walls were rebuilt with stronger materials to prevent further damage. At the time, wax and petroleum were applied to the frescoes to remove salt and protect them. This made the paintings shiny, a feature seen in the 20th and early 21st centuries. These treatments helped protect the paintings but changed their original colors, making the red background darker. In 1909, a German team of archaeologists also worked on restoring the frescoes.
Between 2013 and 2015, modern restoration techniques were used. Tools like ultrasound, heat imaging, and electromagnetic devices were used to examine the walls and identify weak areas. Lasers were used to remove the old wax and petroleum layers, allowing the original colors to be studied and restored. The frescoes were also treated with amoxicillin, an antibiotic that removed manganese dioxide from the ground and bacteria that damaged the pigments.
The frescoes are usually read as a single story, showing different stages of a Bacchic initiation ritual. Women and satyrs (mythical creatures) are shown often, and some believe the villa’s family members were models for the people in the paintings. Because the frescoes are linked to the cult of Bacchus, some think the room was used for rituals, though this is debated. Molly Swetnam-Burland argues the room was not religious, pointing out differences between Bacchus in these frescoes and others in Pompeii. Elaine K. Gazda suggests the women in the frescoes are not the same person but different individuals, including the villa’s owner, her daughter, and others.
The first mural shows a Roman woman approaching a priestess or matron seated on a throne. A boy nearby reads a scroll, possibly part of the initiation. On the other side of the throne, a young woman in purple robes and a myrtle crown holds a laurel branch and a tray of cakes, possibly offering them to a god.
The second mural shows another priestess and assistants preparing a basket. A Silenus (a creature with a human body and horse head) plays a lyre nearby.
The third mural depicts a satyr playing panpipes and a nymph nursing a goat in an Arcadian scene. A figure on the right may be the goddess Aura or the initiate.
The fourth mural shows a young satyr being offered wine by Silenus. Behind him, another satyr holds a scary mask, which the drinking satyr sees reflected in the bowl. A goddess, possibly Ariadne or Semele, sits nearby with Bacchus resting on her lap.
The fifth mural shows a woman carrying a staff and wearing a cap, symbols of successful initiation. She kneels before a priestess and is whipped by a winged figure. Nearby is a dancing Maenad and a figure holding a thyrsus (a symbol of Bacchus made of fennel and a pine cone).
The sixth mural shows a woman being dressed by an attendant, with a cupid holding up a mirror. This scene is often seen as a bride preparing for her wedding. To the right, another cupid looks up at her. The seventh mural shows a matron seated on a throne in an elaborate costume.