The discovery of a mosaic showing a character that is half-man, half-scorpion with ʙuттerfly wings and flaming hair has been hailed as a rare opportunity to learn about Pompeii’s fascination with astrology and its trading links with Egypt.

Found during excavations this year, the character had never been seen before in classical iconography and initially stumped experts. However, the site’s director, Mᴀssimo Osanna, said yesterday that he had unlocked the mystery: it is Orion.

“In Greek mythology, Orion was a giant and a hunter who announced that he would hunt every animal on Earth, incurring the wrath of the goddess Gaia who sent a scorpion to kill him,” he said. Zeus, god of the sky and thunder, then transformed the scorpion and Orion into constellations in the heavens, and Orion is identified today by the three stars on his belt.

“A snake represents the ground from which the scorpion emerged, the sword the man carries is typical of depictions of Orion and the wings represent his transformation,” Mr Osanna said, adding: “It’s an amazing find — there are few depictions of Orion in the classical world and never with the scorpion as a constellation.”

The floor mosaic was found during digs that have turned up stunning portraits and lewd graffiti. The mosaic and the house it is in date back to the 2nd century BC, suggesting that it was about 200 years old when the city was buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The mosaic indicates the cultural influence on Pompeii of Alexandria, in Egypt, Mr Osanna said. “Astronomy was important in Alexandria and they thought Orion was the brightest constellation, which is why in the mosaic he is being lit by a torch carried by a winged creature, who is indicating the way to the stars,” he said.