On February 26, 2025, archaeologists announced the discovery of exceptional frescoes in Pompeii's Regio IX area, dating back to 40-30 BC1. The large-scale frieze, spanning three walls of a banquet hall in the newly named House of Thiasos, depicts vivid scenes of Dionysian followers engaged in ritualistic ecstasy, dancing, and hunting23. This remarkable find provides fresh insights into the religious practices of the ancient city before its destruction by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD4. The frescoes showcase female followers as both dancers and hunters, carrying slaughtered goats or holding swords and animal entrails, while an elegantly dressed woman, possibly an initiate, takes center stage15.

The newly unearthed frescoes vividly portray the secretive religious ceremonies known as the Mysteries of Dionysus, which promised spiritual enlightenment and potentially a blessed afterlife to initiates. These rituals involved several stages, including:

• A ten-day period of abstinence from certain foods and sexual intercourse

• A purifying bath preceding a sacrificial ceremony involving animals like pigs or cockerels

• Oath-taking, where initiates swore to never reveal the mysteries and to serve Dionysus forever1

The upper section of the frieze displays both live and sacrificed animals, including a fawn, a gutted boar, roosters, and fish, highlighting the dual nature of Dionysian worship that blended celebration with primal sacrifice2. This duality prompted Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii, to pose the philosophical question: "What do you want to be in life, the hunter or the prey?"34

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli hailed the discovery as "historic," emphasizing its importance for future generations.1 The unearthing of these frescoes marks a significant milestone in Pompeii's archaeological history, coming more than a century after the discovery of the nearby Villa of the Mysteries in 1909.2 This find is part of ongoing excavations in the Regio IX area that began in early 2023, which have already yielded over 50 rooms, including a black salon depicting Trojan War scenes, an extensive bath complex, and a fresco potentially showing an ancestor of the Italian pizza.34

The newly discovered frescoes in the House of Thiasos bear striking similarities to the renowned frescoes in the Villa of the Mysteries, located on the outskirts of Pompeii. Both sets of paintings depict Dionysian rituals and initiation rites, providing a fascinating glimpse into the secretive religious practices of ancient Pompeii12. The Villa of the Mysteries, excavated in 1909 and restored between 2013 and 2015, features a room with vivid red frescoes dating to 70-60 BC, slightly earlier than the House of Thiasos frescoes12.

While the Villa of the Mysteries frescoes are thought to represent a bride's initiation into the Dionysian cult in preparation for marriage, the House of Thiasos frescoes offer a broader perspective on Dionysian rituals34. Both sites showcase the importance of mystery cults in Pompeian society and highlight the city's rich artistic heritage. The discovery of the House of Thiasos frescoes provides an opportunity for comparative analysis, potentially shedding new light on the interpretation of the Villa of the Mysteries frescoes and enhancing our understanding of Dionysian worship in ancient Pompeii56.