• During the conservation work, new finds were uncovered at a private house known as the 'House of Jupiter'
• The house was already partly excavated between the 18th and 19th centuries
• Archaeologists have uncovered yet more frescoes and remains that give us an insight into everyday life

Archaeologists have excavated the house of a 'wealthy and cultured' man who lived in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii that was buried by ash and rock spewed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

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. 

The eruption belched out a lethal combination of toxic sulphurous gas and hundreds of tonnes of volcanic ash that buried the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae overnight. 

Seismic activity from Vesuvius also triggered a deadly mudflow, wiping out the ancient city of Herculaneum

Conservation work is now underway and new finds have been uncovered at a private house known as the 'House of Jupiter' (Casa di Giove) in the Regio V part of the ancient city.

The house was already partly excavated between the 18th and 19th centuries but archaeologists have uncovered yet more frescoes and ornate remains that give us an insight into everyday life thousands of years ago.

The 2,000 year-old works of art are in good condition, despite surviving one of the most devastating volcanic eruptions in written history.

Archaeologists have uncovered new findings in the house of a wealthy man who lived in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii that was buried by ash and rock following the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD

The name of the house comes from a small picture depicting Jupiter found on a shrine placed in the garden.

It was believed to belong to a wealthy and educated man and is decorated in first Roman style (primo stile pompeiano). 

The house has a central atrium surrounded by several decorated rooms with fake marble painted in bright shades of red, yellow and green.

'The rooms in the back, reserved for the family, had been restored with more contemporary decor', said the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Massimo Osanna. 

Traces of fire were found in an adjacent house which had blackened the frescoed wall.

Mr Osanna told Italian news outlet ANSA: 'The domus had 'vintage' decoration in the first Pompeian style.

'The owner must have been wealthy and cultured, aware of the value of painting'.

During the conservation work, new finds were uncovered at a private house called the 'House of Jupiter' (Casa di Giove) the Regio V part of the ancient city. Pictured is an archaeologist during excavations at the site

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

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

The house was already partly excavated between the 18th and 19th centuries but archaeologists have uncovered yet more frescoes and ornate remains that give us an insight into everyday life

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

The Pompeii eruptions was said to be 'exceptional' and the number of deaths is thought to exceed 10,000

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT VESUVIUS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII?

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 jewellery 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 metres 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.

Mr Osanna also said that the site is the largest excavation in the unexplored area of ​​the ancient city in the post-war period. 

Within the walls of the ill-fated 'House of Jupiter' the archaeologists found an impressive array of terracotta lion heads, coins, glass objects and roof tiles emblazoned with trademarks.

Scientists also excavated the area around the house, unearthing the nearby pavement and an adjacent alleyway. 

Mr Ossana says the excavation project will continue until 2020.