Woman from Pompeii This brightly painted fresco from a villa in Pompeii shows a young woman carrying a tray in a religious ritual. Pompeii was completely buried in ash in a volcanic explosion in 79 C.E., and excavations have revealed life in what was a vacation spot for wealthy Romans. (Detail of the Initiate, from the Catechism Scene, North Wall fresco/Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii/The Bridgeman Art Library)