NAPLES, ITALY—ArtNet News reports that officials at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii have concluded that a looted fragment of a mural depicting Hercules as an infant wrestling a snake came from the Civita Giuliana, a lavish villa on the outskirts of the city. The fragment is said to have been part of an upper lunette on the back wall of the villa’s sacellum, or private chapel. The walls of the chapel were originally lined with 12 painted panels, which have all been looted as well. These panels are thought to have shown the 12 labors of Hercules. The fresco fragment of baby Hercules was repatriated to Italy from the United States in 2023. Italian officials are continuing to search for the rest of the room’s stolen frescoes. To read about an opulent dining room in Pompeii decorated with frescoes depicting the wine god's followers, go to "Dining with Dionysus," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2025.
