Project to shore up Pompeii yields stunning black banquet hall, with frescoes of Trojan War figures

ROME (AP) — Archaeologists excavating new sites in Pompeii have uncovered a sumptuous banquet hall decorated with intricately frescoed mythological characters inspired by the Trojan War. The banquet hall was used for refined entertaining and features black walls, a technique that prevented the smoke from oil lamps to be seen. The hall was uncovered as part of a project to shore up the areas dividing the excavated and unexcavated parts of Pompeii. The ancient city near Naples was destroyed in A.D. 79 when nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted.