A Day in Pompeii
Visa Platinum Gallery
Te Papa
Until April 25th

On August 24, A.D. 79, the Roman city of Pompeii was buried by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The pumice and thick volcanic ash that ended the lives of hundreds of people also encased the city in a virtual time capsule for almost 2,000 years. The city remained largely lost and forgotten until rediscovered by archaeologists in the early 1700s.

A new exhibition at Te Papa “A Day in Pompeii” revisits the tragic day as well as looking at what the city was like before the eruption.

With more than 250 objects “A Day in Pompeii” tells the story of life in the ancient city, from food and dining to shopping, medicine and religion, and includes exquisite objects including marble sculpture, gold jewellery and delicate frescoes.

No other ancient city has been found so complete and intact and our understanding of town planning, architecture, art and the everyday implements recovered from Pompeii providing a unique record of what life was like in the Roman Empire.

The exhibition shows through these artefacts what sort of society city dwellers of the time were like.

They range from fish hooks and needles through to the furniture and the elaborate murals that adorned the dwellings.

Even the mundane objects such as the fish hooks are indications of a sophisticated culture. These are not carved bone or hand beaten metal, they are mass produced items which indicates a society built on commercial enterprise.

Many of the domestic items such as beds also show the impact of mass production. The bed made with wooden slats is connected together with standard bronze fittings.

These items give a glimpse of a society in some ways not very different from our own. Bur there are other aspects which seems strangely out of place such as the gladiators armour, helmet and shields.

The collection of measurement systems and weighing devices also acknowledges the mercantile nature of Roman society.

There are also indications of a “politically correct" society with the various laws restricting social activities such as hours of licensed premises and restrictions on public gambling.

The exhibition also highlights the sophistication of Roman society with plans of Pompeii showing the development of town planning with a rigorous grid system being imposed. Then there are the clever water distribution systems with taps and stop cocks.

The high level of representation in the art of the period is also evident is some of the preserved murals as well. Painting at this time was evolving from the simplistic two dimensional; Egyptian style and shows an understanding of human anatomy and perspective as well as the rendering of landscapes and natural objects.

Among the most poignant objects are the replicated figures of the people and animals. The ash which asphyxiated and burnt the victims solidified and when the bodies decayed they left moulds of the body’s shape.

We witness the final moments of a couple embracing as well as the slave hampered by leg irons and there is a real sense of a human tragedy unfolding. While many residents escaped, many thousands lost their lives and even though these are only plaster casts they provide a link with the past and the emotional and physical nature of the tragedy.

“A Day in Pompeii” will also feature a film which shows the development of the eruption of the mountain and the progressive destruction of the city.