Bedroom in a Rich Roman House

This bedroom from about 40 B.C.E. was in the house of a rich Roman family near Naples; it was buried—and preserved—by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 C.E. The bright paintings showed a dazzling variety of outdoor scenes and architecture. The stone floor helped create a sensation of coolness in the summer. (Cubiculum [bedroom] from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale, c. 50–40 B.C.E. Fresco, Room: 8 ft. ½ in. × 10 ft. 11½ in. × 19 ft. 7¼ in. [265.4 × 334 × 583.9 cm.]. Rogers Fund, 1903 [03.14.13a-g]. Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA. Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Art Resource, NY.)