The discovery of some of the finest paintings ever found in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii has thrilled archaeologists, who say they found a “spectacular” large banqueting room with “elegant” black walls featuring mythological characters including Helen of Troy. The discovery comes during the biggest dig of the lost city in a generation, according to the BBC. At least one-third of the city still needs to be cleared of volcanic debris, though in the current dig, excavators have already discovered two interconnected houses and a house with a bakery. The newest discovery, the banqueting room, is inspired by the Trojan war and near-complete with a mosaic floor comprised of more than a million individual white tiles, the BBC said. “The walls were painted black to prevent the smoke from the oil lamps being seen on the walls,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the Director of the Archaeological park of Pompeii, explained in a statement. “People would meet to dine after sunset; the flickering light of the lamps had the effect of making the images appear to move, especially after a few glasses of good Campanian wine.”