Archaeologists in Pompeii have uncovered a series of nearly life-size frescoes spanning three walls of an ancient banquet hall. Set against a ruby-red backdrop, the wall paintings depict female followers of Dionysus—the Greek god of wine and ecstasy—engaged in secretive cult rituals.

Archaeologists in Pompeii have uncovered rare, nearly life-sized frescoes that offer fresh insight into religious practices in the ancient city before it was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the site said on Wednesday.

Archaeologists exploring what Pompeii was like before it was famously destroyed by Mount Vesuvius have made a huge discovery after finding evidence of secret cults and rituals. It has been almost 2,000 years that the ancient Italian city of Pompeii, near Naples in Italy, was completely destroyed after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

A major new fresco has been unearthed in Pompeii depicting the procession of the god of wine Dionysus, with hunters, dancers and beautifully dressed women, site authorities announced Tuesday.

The narrative draws from the ancient Greek play The Bacchae, written by Euripides in 405 BCE, wherein Dionysus descends on Thebes seeking retribution for slander against him. The