Pompeii's hidden treasure is revealed after 2,000 years: Archaeologists discover a lavish painting of a mythological scene while excavating the ancient Roman city

Archaeologists have unearthed a stunning painting, 2,000 years after it was buried under volcanic material in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

The lavish artwork was found in the House of Leda, which is well known for its intricate wall paintings. 

It depicts Phrixus and Helle, two twins from Greek mythology, as they travel across the sea on a magical ram while fleeing from their evil stepmother. 

In the scene, Helle is reaching up towards Phrixus after falling off the ram, shortly before drowning in the strait between Europe and Asia. 

Pompeii was famously destroyed in AD 79 by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but excavations are still yielding ancient discoveries. 

The painting depicts Phrixus and Helle, two twins from Greek mythology, as they flee their stepmother on a magical ram

The stunning artwork is a 'fresco' - a type of wall painting - but damage to the wall has meant it is not entirely preserved

READ MORE: 'Nativity-like scene statues' are unearthed in Pompeii

The figures were used to worship a cult

The new artwork was revealed by Pompeii Archaeological Park, the government-backed body that oversees the remains of the former city and ongoing excavations. 

The astonishing piece is a 'fresco', a type of wall painting, but damage to the wall has meant it is not entirely preserved. 

The top right of the artwork is lost and there are two prominent cracks towards the centre.

But what is there is in a remarkable condition considering it is around 2,000 years old, with vibrant colour and intricate brushwork. 

Dr Sophie Hay, a British archaeologist who works at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, called it a 'magical' discovery.

'Witnessing the vibrant colours of freshly uncovered frescoes at Pompeii is a privilege and joy that never fades,' she said.

'Seeing the latest discovery of a mythological scene – Phrixus seated on a ram while his sister Helle drowns – in the context of the room it decorated is no exception.'

In Greek legend, the two siblings are forced to flee because their stepmother, Ino, wants to get rid of them.

The painting shows the brother, Phrixus, riding the magic ram, capable of flying or swimming

The lavish artwork was found in the House of Leda, which is well known for its intricate wall paintings

Pompeii was famously destroyed in AD 79 by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius , but excavations are still yielding ancient discoveries 

Today, the ruins of Pompeii are a popular tourist attraction, drawing a million visitors a year. Located on the west coast of Italy, Vesuvius is the only active volcano in continental Europe

READ MORE: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius vapourised victims

Hot and fast-moving flows of gas and volcanic particles killed victims 

The painting shows the brother, Phrixus, riding the magical golden-woolled ram, which is capable of flying or swimming. 

The sister, Helle, is falling from the ram into the water and reaching up to her brother for help. 

According to the legend, Helle eventually drowns, while Phrixus safely flees to the region called Colchis, where he sacrifices the ram to Zeus, who places it in the heavens as the constellation. 

Experts are hopeful that the newly-found fresco will go on display for the public to enjoy at Pompeii, which gets almost four million visitors a year.    

The new discovery is part of the ongoing excavations in the House of Leda, which is known for its very intricate wall paintings.

But Dr Andrew Sillett, a classics lecturer at the University of Oxford, pointed out that 'not all the art in the house is like that'.

'In the entrance hall visitors are greeted by a large painting of Priapus, a fertility god, placing his enormous erection on a set of scales to see how it measures up to the fruits of that year's harvest,' he told MailOnline. 

'So horses for courses.' 

Pompeii was a thriving and wealthy Roman city with a population of around 11,000 before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The catastrophic event destroyed the settlements of Pompeii, as well as the settlements Herculaneum, Torre Annunziata and Stabiae, killing up to 16,000 in the process. 

After the eruption, bodies of the victims at Pompeii were famously preserved in a protective shell of ash before they eventually decayed.

Since the mid 1800s, the voids that these bodies left behind were eventually filled with plaster casts to recreate their final moments. 

How Pompeii and Herculaneum were wiped off the map by devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago

What happened?  

Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow.  

Mount Vesuvius, on the west coast of Italy, is the only active volcano in continental Europe and is thought to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.  

Every single resident died instantly when the southern Italian town was hit by a 500°C pyroclastic hot surge.

Pyroclastic flows are a dense collection of hot gas and volcanic materials that flow down the side of an erupting volcano at high speed.

They are more dangerous than lava because they travel faster, at speeds of around 450mph (700 km/h), and at temperatures of 1,000°C.

An administrator and poet called Pliny the younger watched the disaster unfold from a distance. 

Letters describing what he saw were found in the 16th century.  

His writing suggests that the eruption caught the residents of Pompeii unaware.

Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow

He said that a column of smoke 'like an umbrella pine' rose from the volcano and made the towns around it as black as night.

People ran for their lives with torches, screaming and some wept as rain of ash and pumice fell for several hours.  

While the eruption lasted for around 24 hours, the first pyroclastic surges began at midnight, causing the volcano's column to collapse.

An avalanche of hot ash, rock and poisonous gas rushed down the side of the volcano at 124mph (199kph), burying victims and remnants of everyday life.  

Hundreds of refugees sheltering in the vaulted arcades at the seaside in Herculaneum, clutching their jewelry and money, were killed instantly.

The Orto dei fuggiaschi (The garden of the Fugitives) shows the 13 bodies of victims who were buried by the ashes as they attempted to flee Pompeii during the 79 AD eruption of the Vesuvius volcano

As people fled Pompeii or hid in their homes, their bodies were covered by blankets of the surge.

While Pliny did not estimate how many people died, the event was said to be 'exceptional' and the number of deaths is thought to exceed 10,000.

What have they found?

This event ended the life of the cities but at the same time preserved them until rediscovery by archaeologists nearly 1700 years later.

The excavation of Pompeii, the industrial hub of the region and Herculaneum, a small beach resort, has given unparalleled insight into Roman life.

Archaeologists are continually uncovering more from the ash-covered city.

In May archaeologists uncovered an alleyway of grand houses, with balconies left mostly intact and still in their original hues.

A plaster cast of a dog, from the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, AD 79. Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day

Some of the balconies even had amphorae - the conical-shaped terra cotta vases that were used to hold wine and oil in ancient Roman times.

The discovery has been hailed as a 'complete novelty' - and the Italian Culture Ministry hopes they can be restored and opened to the public.

Upper stores have seldom been found among the ruins of the ancient town, which was destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius volcano and buried under up to six meters of ash and volcanic rubble.

Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day.