When Godfather Zeus fell in love, he used a cunning to be close to his beloved. For example, he seduced the king’s daughter Leda in the form of a swan and impregnated her. The result of the liaison was the gods Helena and Polydeukes, so it tells at least the Greek mythology.
Now archaeologists have come across a fresco in the ancient city of Pompeii, which shows exactly this scene. The scene is „full of sensuality,“ report the archaeologists of the archaeological site. The myth of Zeus and Leda had been very popular in Pompeii. The motive adorned therefore also several house walls.
The now discovered painting shows the naked Leda sitting with the swan in her lap and once adorned apparently the bedroom of a house.
The city of Pompeii on the southwestern border of Naples was buried together with several neighboring villages at the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 1939 years ago under ashes – and largely preserved. What was a tragedy for the inhabitants has long since become a stroke of luck for archaeologists. The UNESCO World Heritage Site attracts millions of tourists year after year.
The excavations in Pompeii began in the 18th century, but there is still something new to discover today. This year archaeologists found skeletons of several humans as well as the almost complete remnants of a horse. Inscriptions also indicate that the volcano near Naples erupted two months later than previously thought.
