The archaeological dig in Pompeii has brought to light a richly decorated but unusually small building with exceptionally well-preserved wall paintings.

It was called “House of Phaedra”, after the mythological queen of Athens who is depicted in a fresco.

As underlined in a statement by the management of the archaeological park of Pompeii, this discovery also sheds light on the change of architectural style during the 1st century AD. Unlike other buildings at the archaeological site, it was not built around the traditional Roman atrium – an open area with a cistern for collecting rainwater.

Despite its small size, the particular house “impresses because of the high-quality frescoes”, says the announcement, adding that they are similar to much larger and more luxurious houses that have been found nearby.

The thriving city of Pompeii and its surrounding area, in the southern part of Italy, was completely destroyed by the terrible eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, which claimed the lives of thousands of people who were unaware that they were in the shadow of one of the largest volcanoes in Europe.

In addition to the fresco of Phaedra and Hippolytus, who rejected his stepmother’s amorous invitation, other mythological scenes depicted on the walls of the house include the intercourse of a satyr with a nymph and the meeting of Aphrodite with Adonis. There are also several smaller, but detailed landscape frescoes.