Recent excavations in and around Pompeii have unearthed some exceptional finds and now researchers have announced the discovery of a ceremonial chariot found in a villa near stables where horses were uncovered two years ago.  The chariot is described as almost intact with iron elements and bronze and tin decorations.  It is believed that the chariot was used in parades or festivities and possibly marriage processions – given the erotic nature of some of those decorations.  This is the first such chariot to be found in Italy.  It is believed to have been so well-preserved because it was sheltered by a portico when the walls of the space it was in collapsed around it and was also spared damage by modern-day antiquities looters who had dug tunnels in the surrounding area.  The chariot is now undergoing a restoration and reconstruction process after its centuries buried in volcanic material.