Mythic fresco discovered in Pompeii

An ancient Roman fresco depicting an erotic scene from the Greek myth "Leda and the Swan" has been uncovered at the Pompeii archaeological site in central Italy.

The wall artwork, unearthed on Friday, portrays the Greek god Zeus, or Jupiter in Roman mythology, taking the form of a swan and seducing the Spartan Queen Leda, the wife of King Tyndareus.

Along with other erotic works of classical mythology, this was a fairly common home decoration theme in Pompeii and Herculaneum, another town destroyed in 79 AD by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.