Punishment of Ixion by Unkown

When we think of art made in ancient Rome or ancient Greece, we often think of pottery and sculpture. But did you know that both the Romans and the Greeks were masters of painting as well? Unfortunately, because of the fragile nature of paint compared to pottery and sculpture, almost all painted works from this period have been lost forever. However, the disastrous eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 CE encapsulated the entire city of Pompeii in ashes, preserving some astonishing frescoes until their discovery in the 18th century. These preserved works give us a glimpse into how the Romans were able to create incredibly vivid paintings already over 2,000 years ago.