Hellhounds and sea centaurs. A 2,200-year-old tomb in excellent condition was found in Italy.

In Italy, near Naples, archaeologists have unearthed a 2,200-year-old tomb whose walls were decorated with paintings depicting strange mythical creatures: a pair of ichthyocentaurs with human heads and torsos, and the lower part of which resembles the body of an animal. The horse and the tail of a fish, writes LiveScience.

The authors of the study state that during excavations for infrastructure works, they noticed the hypogeum, a large tomb with rooms for the burial of several people. Surprisingly, despite its age, the tomb is preserved in excellent condition and its entrance is still decorated with tiles.

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Researchers discovered numerous frescoes with images of mythical creatures on the walls of the tomb. In the drawings, you can see two sea centaurs believed to be images of Afros and Bythos, a pair of mythological sea gods who are personifications of sea foam and the ocean abyss.

Note that these sea gods are often depicted in contemporary frescoes wearing crowns made of lobster claws, but on the walls of this tomb the ichthyocentaurs reach for each other and hold a large shield known as a clypeus. Additionally, the fresco scene is completed with two winged babies resembling Cupid.

The tomb is also covered in painted wreaths and features striking images of Cerberus (the mythical three-headed dog that guards the underworld). Next to the three-headed dog, the god Mercury, easily recognizable by his winged hat, is also depicted. Archaeologists also discovered that the tomb contained an altar where family members likely left gifts for the deceased and burial beds where the deceased was still buried.

The tomb was discovered 12 kilometers northwest of Naples and reveals the history of the Giuliano site. This region was one of the smaller settlements of Campania, a fertile region that in ancient times included cities from Capua to Salerno.

Meanwhile, during previous archaeological excavations in the Campi Flegrei volcanic region surrounding Giuliano, scientists had already discovered a series of tombs spanning four centuries, from the Republican to the Imperial period. The new tomb was called the “Tomb of Cerberus”; In the future, scientists plan to finish exploring the tomb and begin working on the rest of the cemetery.

Previously Focus He wrote that the archaeologist who found Tutankhamun’s tomb stole the pharaoh’s treasures: evidence has emerged.