POMPEII STYLE Inside the Roman houses where archaeologists continue to discover evocative new masterpieces By Jarrett A. Lobell Naples Mount Vesuvius ITI TALYAL Pompeii Newly unearthed frescoes in a room in the House of the Painters at Work (top left), which was first excavated between 1982 and 2005, depict an eclectic array of images against a red background, including one showing the hero Perseus (top right) displaying the head of the Gorgon Medusa to his love, Andromeda; a scene from Greek mythology (above left) featuring an unknown hero undergoing a purification ritual; and an unusual portrait (above right) of a child wearing a traveler's outfit, including a hat and cape. The child is surrounded by grapes and pomegranates and accompanied by his dog. 52 ARCHAEOLOGY * September/October 2024