- Mintage Limit - 250
- VILLA MYSTERIES POMPEII Fresco
- Set of 9 coins unique coins
- Coin in capsule+with Certificate of Authenticity + BOX
The coin set "Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii" is simply beautiful, over 11 ounces of pure silver (355 g). It consists of 9, according to the villa's frescoes, edgeless color printed bars, of 3 different sizes, which all put together form one coin unit. The largest commemorative coins of the world!
The Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii
In the first century the Roman Empire contains many cities, but none in a more beautiful setting than the cities and towns lining the Bay of Naples. On the 24th of August, 79 A.D., volcanic ash spews from Mt. Vesuvius. Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum disappear from the face of the earth. Gradually grass and vines cover the land where the towns stood. The local people eventually forget even the name of the buried towns.
Herculaneum was rediscovered in 1738 and Pompeii in 1748. By the mid-eighteenth century, when scholars made the journey to Naples and reported on the findings, the imagination of Europe was ignited. Suddenly, the classical world was in vogue. Philosophy, art, architecture, literature, and even fashion drew upon the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum for inspiration; the Neoclassical movement was under way.
This villa, built around a central peristyle court and surrounded by terraces, is much like other large villas of Pompeii. However, it contains one very unusual feature; a room decorated with beautiful and strange scenes.
This room, known to us as "The Initiation Chamber," measures 15 by 25 feet and is located in the front right portion of the villa. The Villa is named for the paintings in one room of the residence. This space may have been a triclinium, and is decorated with very fine frescoes.
Although the actual subject of the frescoes is hotly debated, the most common interpretation of the images is scenes of the initiation of a woman into a special cult of Dionysus, a mystery cult that required specific rites and rituals to become a member.