Sex, consent, and the ancient city: A closer look at Pompeii's erotic mural of 'Leda and the Swan'
Her gaze may have been obscured for almost two millennia, but visitors to Pompeii's vast archeological dig will soon be able to come eye to eye with Leda, Queen of Sparta, complete with the god Zeus in disguise as a swan, perched on her unclothed lap.
The provocative scene from ancient Greek mythology is depicted on a 13 by 18 inch bedroom wall mural. It was uncovered during maintenance work in the Regio V section of the archeological dig that is not currently open to the public. Of Pompeii's 66 hectares (163 acres), about a third have not yet been excavated after the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
A controversial scene
What makes this mural so astonishing is both its incredibly well-preserved state and the way Leda is portrayed.
History made: In an astonishing Bronze Age discovery a 3000-year-old community has been unearthed
This particular Greek myth is a peculiar one. As legend has it, Leda was seduced -- some say raped -- and impregnated by a swan, who was really Zeus, the Olympian king of the gods who had taken a fancy to her. The encounter happened on the very same night Leda made love with her mortal husband King Thestius.
The dual encounter, according to Greek mythology, led to the formation of two swan eggs and the subsequent birth of a number of children who were of mixed mortal and deity descent. Helen of Troy was the most famous offspring, but the union also produced Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux.
The provocative scene from ancient Greek mythology is depicted on a 13 by 18 inch bedroom wall mural. It was uncovered during maintenance work in the Regio V section of the archeological dig that is not currently open to the public. Of Pompeii's 66 hectares (163 acres), about a third have not yet been excavated after the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
A controversial scene
What makes this mural so astonishing is both its incredibly well-preserved state and the way Leda is portrayed.
History made: In an astonishing Bronze Age discovery a 3000-year-old community has been unearthed
This particular Greek myth is a peculiar one. As legend has it, Leda was seduced -- some say raped -- and impregnated by a swan, who was really Zeus, the Olympian king of the gods who had taken a fancy to her. The encounter happened on the very same night Leda made love with her mortal husband King Thestius.
The dual encounter, according to Greek mythology, led to the formation of two swan eggs and the subsequent birth of a number of children who were of mixed mortal and deity descent. Helen of Troy was the most famous offspring, but the union also produced Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux.
Link Text
