This room has been interpreted as a sacralium, or Roman sanctuary.
Thousands of years have passed since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius left the Italian city of Pompeii in ruins, but the ancient ruins continue to yield new discoveries.
Archaeologists’ newly excavated “Blue Room” features a female figure painted on the turquoise walls. press release It was unearthed at Pompeii Archaeological Park earlier this month.
The roughly 90,000-square-foot room was originally discovered during the Bourbon period (1813-1840) but was recently excavated and opened to the public for the first time on May 27.
Experts believe some of the paintings represent the four seasons, or “horea,” while others show agricultural symbols such as a plough and a “pedum,” a short walking stick used by shepherds and hunters, the statement said.
The pigments in this room are particularly significant, experts say, pointing out that “the blue colour seen here is rare in Pompeii frescoes, which were usually used in more ornately decorated rooms.”
Experts have interpreted the unusual blue room as a sacralium, a Roman sanctuary “devoted to ritual activities and the storage of sacred objects.”
Items found in the room included 15 transport amphorae (large vases) and a set of bronze objects consisting of two jugs and two lamps.
Additionally, archaeologists unearthed piles of building materials that were ready to be used in the renovation work, as well as piles of empty oyster shells.
According to a press release, the excavation of the Blue Room is part of a larger project to “protect the vast heritage” of Pompeii, which includes 13,000 rooms in 1,070 residential units, as well as public areas and sanctuaries.
In 2018, during a joint operation between the Carabinieri, Centre for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the Archaeological Supervision of Pompeii, the finds were unearthed in a large villa that stood just outside the walls of Pompeii, far from any known archaeological area.
Archaeologists working at the site discovered a building with large balconies decorated in Pompeian-style red and with geometric motifs of flowers and animals, which they named “Vicolo dei Balconi” (Alley of Balconies).
