Fresco of Ajax and Cassandra, House of Menander
Detail of a fresco of Ajax dragging Cassandra from the Palladium before the eyes of Priam, from the North wall of the East ala of the Casa del Menandro, or House of Menander, Pompeii, Italy. This room is painted in the Fourth Style of Roman wall painting, c. 60E79 AD, a complex and Baroque style. In the fresco, a scene from Homer's Iliad, Helen and Menelaus are to the left, Priam is in the centre with Ajax dragging Cassandra who is holding the Palladium to the right. Also known as the House of the Silverware, this is one of the largest and most elegant houses in Pompeii, belonging to the Poppei family and built in the 3rd century BC. Pompeii is a Roman town which was destroyed and buried under 4-6 m of volcanic ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Buildings and artefacts were preserved in the ash and have been excavated and restored. Pompeii is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
