On August 24, 79 A.D., the Roman city of Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and stayed buried for more than 1600 years. The eruption spewed searing hot ash upon the city, preserving its people and treasures in a volcanic time capsule. Artifacts include beautiful frescos, marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, body armor, plumbing fixtures, furniture, ancient Roman coins, and full body casts of the volcano’s victims shown in eerie detail. In 2012, Nikki and I went to see the exhibit while showing in Denver.
Mount Vesuvius in the back ground with the streets of Pompeii in the foreground.
Large frescos were found and saved as excavation unveiled these amazing works of art.
Metal side table with exquisite detail. This society wasn’t poor. They had very nice things and a shocking display of modern luxury items.
Dionysus (Bacchus) – Greek God of Wine and Grape Harvest. This Greek God has the love of all the people.
A Bacchus wine fountain. I need one of these!
Battle helmet.
GladiatorShin Guards.
I was amazed by the sophisticated plumbing that was shown. This was 79 AD, 2000 years ago!
Another view of plumbing fixtures. This blows my mind.
And the jewelry! I would wear any of these pieces.
Amazing!
Another wall fresco. ” Fresco is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.” (Wikipedia)
These body casts of Pompeian residents show their last moments as the volcano buried the city.
150 bodies were found in a warehouse on the beach in Herculaneum, a nearby city to Pompeii. Both cities were buried by Vesuvius, but fewer bodies were found in Herculaneum. It seems these people were trying to find a safe place to go.
More body casts found in the buried city.
Speculation is that this dog was tied up and climbing to stay on top of the ash as it piled up around him. There is nothing warm and fuzzy about this exhibit, but it shows the reality of life and tragic death in the city of Pompeii.
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One thought on “Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, powerful images from 79 AD”
I know so little about Pompeii . Just what was learned in school many years ago. This exhibit brings a closer look at the people and their culture. Beautiful artifacts and sad soulful inhabitants. Thanks for bringing this into our present consciousness.
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I know so little about Pompeii . Just what was learned in school many years ago. This exhibit brings a closer look at the people and their culture. Beautiful artifacts and sad soulful inhabitants. Thanks for bringing this into our present consciousness.
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