While controversy abounds as to the origin of the fleur de lis, there is no denying it has been around for centuries, appearing in various forms on Mesopotamian pottery, ancient coins from Gaul and India, Japanese emblems, and Egyptian hieroglyphics. Here, the design can be seen on the wall inside the excavated Stabian Baths in the city of Pompeii which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
A nearly two centuries old fleur de lis painted on a wall recovered from the Villa Arianna in Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79A.