Last Friday I went to the Arizona Science Center to see an exhibit called Pompeii the Exhibition. I was truly impressed by what I saw. The exhibit was designed to take the visitor back in time to August 24, 79AD, the day this city was frozen in time and buried for 16 centuries.
One of the things that impressed me the most were all of the artifacts on loan from the Naples National Archeological Museum that were totally in tact. There were statues and sculptures, pottery and jewelry all looking as if they were brand new. This statue was found in a wealthy person's home and would have been the center of a fountain similar to how it is depicted here.
These statues of a man on the left and Caligula on the right were found in the city buried in ash and debris.
These sculptures were very impressive. It depicts two dogs attacking a wild boar. It was the main sculptural feature of a garden water basin, one of the most elaborate found in the ruins of the city.
This beautiful gold necklace and earrings looked like you could pick it up and put it on and it would look every bit as fashionable today as it was 2000 years ago.
At the end of the exhibit, visitors went into a theatre where a short video gave us the look and feel of being engulfed by the explosions from Mt. Vesuvius. The floor shook and stage smoke filled the room giving us all a brief, but safe way to experience what happened. It was very well done. After the video we moved into the last room of the exhibit where a few plaster casts of some of the bodies that were discovered buried in the ash were on display. Those casts really gave you a feel of the suddenness of what happened and how so many people died from the gases and smoke as they were trying to escape what was happening.
12 comments:
What a horrible way to died. It is amazing how much as been preserved for ever.
Impressive exhibition. I have been in Pompeii and it was amazing to see the high standard of living they had. Bath rooms, paving the streets and houses with two floors on it. The paintings and jewellery everything had such a great civilization. So sad all has gone in the ages that followed.
What an amazing exhibit, Sharon! The artwork is wonderful!
Looks a good exhibition but I can go one better, been there twice.
https://spuduka.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/visit-to-pompeii.html
I have, of course, read about the Pompeii disaster down through the years but I had no idea they found such wonderful artifacts in such good shape. I can't imagine the terror the people must have felt when buried in the fiery ashes. Did you sleep OK after watching the exhibition? :)
That is quite an exhibit!
Fascinating and horrifying at the same time. That sculpture with the wild boar and the dogs is amazing!
I'd love to see that exhibit- and Pompeii itself.
Hi Sharon, it's me again! I ran across a very scary article and was curious as to what your reaction would be. I remember years ago some scary stuff about Phoenix running out of water, but this seems even more so.
You can check it out here (if you wish) or tell me to mind my own business.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/4/6/1754585/-Plight-of-Phoenix-how-long-can-the-world-s-least-sustainable-city-survive?detail=emaildkre
What an incredible exhibition this must be. Such beauty from the ashes.
Extremely fascinating, think I'd find it very interesting. A good reminder of what nature can throw out.
I'd love to see that. SLAM just open an exhibit of a mass of Egyptian statuary found submerged off the coast of Alexandria. We gotta get to that one, too.
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