In a city buried under feet of ash and debris from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, archaeologists have announced the discovery of ancient murals that shed light on the region’s mysteries.

The murals, which are designated as national treasures, comprise paintings of 16 men and women, as well as drawings of guardian deities representing four directions and deriving from ancient ...

Part of the mural depicts female followers of Dionysus — who is also the ancient Greek god of fertility, theater and religious ecstasy — as both dancers and hunters with a goat on their ...