Recreate the most beautiful mansion in the ancient Roman city, the rich owner remains a mystery

Mar 25, 2022 10:51 GMT+7

Before the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii was a prosperous city with a population of up to 20,000.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ash and pieces of rock, while the city of Herculaneum was buried in mud.

Mount Vesuvius, on the west coast of Italy, is the only active volcano in mainland Europe, one of the most dangerous in the world.

Recently, scientists conducted further research into one of Pompeii’s most beautiful houses, the House of the Greek Epigram.

They reconstructed a 3D model showing the house complete with beautiful paintings and frescoes.

Virtual reality users take a tour of the old house

Using eye-tracking technology and virtual reality, researchers from Lund University, Sweden have rebuilt a house damaged by volcanic eruptions and neglected for centuries.

People will ‘walk’ through the house in virtual reality, and the device will track their eyes to see which points attract them the most.

This resplendent edifice is so named because one of its rooms contains numerous colorful frescoes, engraved with texts from Greek poets and scenes from ancient mythology.

Colorful murals attract everyone’s attention

Giacomo Landeschi, co-author of the study, said: “Eye-tracking and virtual reality technology can assess the ancient spaces, which features, which spaces of the house attract the most attention.”

The House of the Greek Epigrams is a dramatic design in northeastern Pompeii, decorated with intricate frescoes. The house has two floors, measuring nearly 7,000 square meters.

The house shows people about the personal power, status, wealth of the owner, living space of the family.

Although research by Lund University sheds light on how people interact with the ‘House of Greek Epigrams’, many mysteries remain about this ancient Pompeii edifice.

Excavated in the mid-1870s, the inside of the house offers a ‘treasure’ of 160 Roman artifacts, including many silverware, jewelry and musical instruments.

The researchers are also not sure who owns this luxurious mansion. They found a ring marked Lucius Valerius Flaccus. This is a member of the Valerii clan, but researchers aren’t sure if Flaccus dropped the ring during a visit or if it was actually the owner of the house.

Hoang Dung (synopsis)