San Diego Natural History Museum invites groups to spend a day in Pompeii
Beginning on Friday, February 15, 2008, the San Diego Natural History Museum will transport visitors back in time 2000 years to experience life and death in the ancient Roman Empire. A Day in Pompeii, a new exhibition, will reveal daily life in a city steeped in legend and mystery. Dr. Joseph A. Smith, the chair of the Department of Classics and Humanities at San Diego State University, will curate the exhibition in San Diego.
Pompeii and its neighboring cities were buried—and frozen in time—after the fateful eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 CE. The city lay forgotten until 1748 when archaeologists began to excavate at the site. What they discovered, piece by piece, were exquisitely-preserved objects that offer a glimpse into what the day-to-day life of this ancient city may have been like.
Amazingly, archaeologists have also been able to piece together the final moments of the people of Pompeii. By pouring plaster into cavities in the volcanic ash left the victims’ bodies, archaeologists were able to create molds of the final moments of life in this once-thriving seaport.
A Day in Pompeii features more than 250 artifacts uncovered from beneath 30 feet of volcanic material in this once-cosmopolitan city. The 7500 sq. ft. exhibition brings these priceless artifacts, along with body casts of eight of the victims of Vesuvius’ fury, across the Atlantic to the west coast for the first time.
Many of the artifacts have never been on public display before 2007, including a stunning large-scale garden fresco, gold coins, jewelry, marble and bronze statuary, and other dazzling examples of ancient Rome’s artistry and craftsmanship.
“Rarely do we see such stark and dramatic evidence of people’s final moments. But the exhibition goes far beyond that. The casts of human bodies certainly provide a personal connection with the victims of this natural disaster,” says Jim Stone, Museum vice president of public programs. “However, the startling level of preservation of the objects in the exhibition transports the visitor almost two millennia back in time and captures the essence of daily life in ancient Pompeii. It’s absolutely remarkable.
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