This past weekend I ventured out to the California Science Center in Exposition Park near downtown Los Angeles. I took in the much anticipated Pompeii: The Exhibition (currently running through January 4, 2015) featuring over 150 exquisite artifacts on loan from the Naples National Archaeological Museum in Italy and was not disappointed. The exhibition offers attendees a unique glimpse into the daily life and tragic end of this ancient Roman society. Some of the featured objects include ancient Roman coins, wall-sized frescoes, marble and bronze sculptures, gladiator armor, jewelry, and full body replica casts of the volcano’s victims.
Prior to the disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., Pompeii had 25,000 inhabitants and was considered a very cultured and vibrant city on the Mediterranean with an abundance of architecture, complex infrastructures, and precious works of art. With the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the surrounding landscape in Pompeii had changed forever. On August 24, 79 A.D. within a period of 24 hours, Pompeii was buried entirely under 12 feet of ash and stone. It was not until the eighteenth century in which this time capsule of a preserved ancient city was discovered under the ash and stone.
Today, large-scale excavation of Pompeii (a quarter of a square mile) has ceased and about one-third of the city remains underground.
If you are in the Los Angeles area this summer or fall, you will not want to miss this fascinating exhibit. After you visit the exhibition, I highly recommend a visit to the Getty Villa, which is modeled after a first-century Roman country house preserved by the ash of Mount Vesuvius.