Museum of Science presents A Day in Pompeii -- One of the World's Greatest Archaeological Discoveries

September 23, 2011

New England Premiere: Oct. 2, 2011 - Feb. 12, 2012

BOSTON -- On August 24, AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the ancient Roman city of Pompeii under volcanic ash for over 1,700 years. On Sunday, October 2, 2011, visitors to the Museum of Science, Boston will explore the life and death of this thriving city in A Day in Pompeii. The 13,000-square-foot touring exhibit immerses visitors in the richness of one of the greatest archaeological treasures ever unearthed.

On exhibit October 2, 2011 - February 12, 2012, A Day in Pompeii features over 250 priceless artifacts. They include 13 wall-sized frescoes, over a dozen pieces of gold jewelry, marble and bronze statuary, gold coins, and other dazzling examples of ancient Roman artistry. Other artifacts from frying pans, fishhooks, and merchants' scales to ceramics, oil lamps, graffiti stones, and carbonized bread capture aspects of daily life. Visitors can also experience the power of volcanoes from interactive displays and learn about their victims by exploring the body casts that have immortalized them.

Tickets, which went on sale August 24, 2011, the anniversary of the Vesuvius eruption, are available by visiting mos.org or calling 617/723-2500, 617/589-0417 (TTY).

"Few ancient cities have been found so unchanged," says Paul Fontaine, Museum of Science vice president of education. "Our visitors will discover that what a volcano destroys it can also save. The clues that scientists and archeologists have uncovered, while helping establish modern archeology, also offer a glimpse of ancient life, from art and architecture to water engineering and entertainment, revealing remarkable ties between ancient and modern cultures. And in a very personal way, the body casts connect us directly to human beings who lived 2,000 years ago."

Walk Through A Day in Pompeii

A marble statue of Venus, the goddess of love and one of Pompeii's patron gods, welcomes visitors to the exhibit. Pompeii's homes and gardens come to life in richly colored frescoes, mosaic tiles, statues, furniture, ovens, everyday plates, bowls, spoons, wine jugs, and amphoras.

A computer-generated video flyover of the city's buildings shows bathhouses, laundries, and marketplaces as they might have looked in AD 79. A time-lapsed multimedia presentation re-creates the sights, sounds, and then silence of that doomed city's final 24 hours. The blast from Vesuvius has been estimated as being ten times more powerful than that of Mount Saint Helens in 1980.

A Day in Pompeii includes at least ten body casts made of polyester resin from the original molds of citizens and animals in their final moments. Perhaps one of the most moving casts is of a man reaching out to a woman, as they lie together. Others include a crouching man, a slave, a pair of young women, and a dog. Archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli, who oversaw the excavation of the city from 1860 to 1875, had made the amazing discovery that the bodies of people and animals smothered by ash had disintegrated, leaving cavities in the hardened ash. Fiorelli and his team poured liquid plaster into these voids, creating incredibly detailed casts of people in their last moments.

Nearby is a large cast of over 30 skeletal remains found in Herculaneum, a town northwest of Pompeii. Most of its citizens evacuated before the blast, but those fleeing to the waterfront were killed by superheated volcanic debris. The soft tissue of their bodies burned away, leaving only skeletal remains, which became the first Roman remains available for scientific study.

Next, visitors investigate Pompeii's trading, fishing, and agriculture through such artifacts as coins, fishhooks, and bronze merchant scales. Nearby, a shrine for household deities, statues from Greek and Roman myths, cremation urns, and objects from tombs evoke the religious and burial customs of Pompeii's citizens. Necklaces, bracelets, and dice reveal their love of jewelry and games of chance, while a bronze helmet and shield point to gladiators who fought each other in the city's amphitheater.

At interactive stations, visitors explore the geology of volcanoes, the art of mosaics, the science of archaeology, and ancient construction techniques. Relics of Roman water engineering in the form of pipes, valves, and spouts remind visitors of the advanced technological achievements of the first century.

A Day in Pompeii Exhibit Background

A Day in Pompeii is presented in partnership with Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei (SANP), which selected and prepared the artifacts. SANP is responsible for safeguarding and enhancing the cultural heritage of Pompeii and other locations in the Vesuvian area. It operates four archeological sites (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Oplontis) and a museum at Boscoreale. The Museum collaborated with three other museums and previous tour venues to bring this collection of artifacts to the United States for its current tour.

Commemorative Booklet, Audio Tour and Script

To complement A Day in Pompeii, a booklet of the same name, created by the Gulf Coast Exploreum with input from the Science Museum of Minnesota, San Diego Natural History Museum, and Discovery Place is available at the Museum of Science and Pompeii gift shops. An audio tour is also available for purchase. The tour is free to visitors with visual impairments. A script is available for those with hearing impairments. For information on access, contact Nora Nagle, nnagle@mos.org 617/589-3102, 617/589-0417) (TTY).

Exhibition Tour

After February 12, 2012, A Day in Pompeii leaves the Museum of Science to travel to the Cincinnati (Ohio) Museum Center, followed by the Denver (Colorado) Museum of Nature & Science.

Admission to the Exhibit

Admission to Pompeii will be by timed ticket only and will include a separate ticket for general Exhibit Halls admission that can be used on the same day of a visit to Pompeii or within six months: $27 adults, $25, seniors (60+), and $24 children (3-11). Advance ticket reservations are recommended. For more information on the exhibition and complementary programming, or to reserve tickets, visit mos.org or call 617/723-2500, 617/589-0417 (TTY). Members of the Museum of Science can purchase tickets for the exhibition at a special rate of $4 for adults, seniors, and children. For more information on how to become a Museum of Science Member, call 617/589-0180 or visit mos.org. The exhibit will be at the Museum through February 12, 2012. For more information, call 617/723-2500, (TTY) 617/589-0417, or visit mos.org.

A Day in Pompeii Related Museum Program Highlights

Student Archaeology Fair

Friday, October 7, 2011: 9 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Family Archaeology Fair

Saturday, October 8, 2011: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Experience the excitement of archaeology with dozens of hands-on activities, live presentations, and special programs including many connected with A Day in Pompeii. Talk to more than 25 archaeologists from New England, and explore how their research is changing the way we look at the past. Free with Exhibit Halls admission.

Dinner in Pompeii

Thursday, October 6, 2011: 6:30 p.m.

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, 215 First Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Over a six-course tasting menu developed by chef and art historian Maite Gomez-Rejón, journey from fifth century BC, when Pompeii was under Greek control, to first century AD, when the city was a flourishing port relishing exotic delicacies. Gomez-Rejón seasons the evening with dishes from the ancient world and dashes of the culture of Pompeii. Fee: $60 for dinner; $85 for dinner with wine pairings (both include tax and tip). Tickets on sale until noon, October 3, at mos.org/events but they are in limited supply.

This program is a co-presentation of the Museum of Science and Le Cordon Bleu—Boston. Additional funding is provided by the Barbara and Malcolm L. Sherman Fund for Adult Programs and by the David and Marion Ellis Endowment Fund.

Volcanoes on the Verge Lecture

Wednesday, January 25, 2012: 7:00 p.m.

Did you know that one of the world's largest volcanoes lies under Yellowstone National Park? Or that one of the most active volcanoes on the planet boasts a lake of lava 700 feet across and a city of one million residents at its base? In an effort to prevent a modern-day Pompeii, isotope geochemist and volcanologist Ken Sims, Associate Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, travels the globe and rappels into the fiery hearts of volcanoes, measuring gases and collecting "zero-age" chunks of fresh lava. Marvel at his life in the field and learn about the biggest threats and when they might erupt.

Admission is free thanks to the Lowell Institute. Advance registration begins at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 18, at mos.org/events.

Extreme Weather Lecture

Wednesday, February 1, 2012: 7:00 p.m.

Aware as we may be of our vulnerability to natural disasters, a 2007 Harvard School of Public Health survey found that over 30 percent of people living within 20 miles of a coastline said they would not leave for a major hurricane. The exact number of people killed when Mount Vesuvius erupted is unknown, but 1,044 casts of bodies in ash deposits have been recovered. Why do so many people stay in place, putting themselves at risk despite warnings? In her new book, Extreme Weather, CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider explains the science behind when natural disasters are likely to strike. Hear the latest on how to prepare for the unexpected and how these responses can make a difference between life and death. Book signing follows.

Admission is free thanks to the Lowell Institute. Advance registration begins at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 18, at mos.org/events.

Live Daily Presentation

Vesuvius: Story of an Eruption

October 1, 2011 - February 12, 2012

Regularly Scheduled Massachusetts School Days: 11:00 a.m.

All Other Days (including Weekends & Holidays): 3:00 p.m.

What can artifacts and rocks tell us about the past? Use these clues to travel back to the ancient city of Pompeii and investigate the explosive eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed—then preserved—the city. Free with Exhibit Halls admission.

Live Presentation

Volcano Update

Through the run of A Day in Pompeii: 12:30 p.m. Check daily schedule on arrival at Museum.

Why do volcanoes erupt when and where they do, and why does their behavior range so widely? Find out which volcanoes are erupting around the world now, learn about modern methods for monitoring eruptions, and hear current research on the 2,000-year-old deposits of the Vesuvius eruption. Free with Exhibit Halls admission.

Mugar Omni Theater Film

Greece: Secrets of the Past

Saturday, October 1, 2011 - February 2012

Explore the beautiful Greek Islands, including Santorini's volcanic eruption, and the roots of the Golden Age of Greece as you follow a team of archaeologists piecing together the puzzles of ancient history. For more information, visit: mos.org/imax.

Ring of Fire

Saturday, October 1, 2011 - February 2012

Volcanoes and earthquakes are prevalent where enormous parts of the Earth's crust called tectonic plates collide. Some of the most active areas are along the Pacific Rim, in countries bordering this vast ocean off the west coast of the United States. Ring of Fire takes you from Hawaii to Japan and from Chile to the Philippines, to witness one of nature's most violent displays: the birth of new land. Explore both the past and present along this belt of seismic and volcanic activity to glimpse the powerful forces that shape our planet and all too often threaten the lives of those in these regions. For more information, visit: mos.org/imax.

About the Museum of Science, Boston

The Museum takes a hands-on approach to science, engineering and technology, attracting about 1.5 million visitors a year via its programs and 700 interactive exhibits. Founded in 1830, the Museum was first to embrace all the sciences under one roof. Highlights include the Thomson Theater of Electricity, Charles Hayden Planetarium, Mugar Omni Theater, Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, 3-D Digital Cinema and Butterfly Garden. Reaching 25,000 teens a year worldwide via the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, the Museum also leads a 10-year, $41 million National Science Foundation-funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network of science museums. The Museum's "Science Is an Activity" exhibit plan has been awarded many NSF grants and influenced science centers worldwide. Its National Center for Technological Literacy® aims to enhance knowledge of engineering and technology for people of all ages and inspire the next generation of engineers, inventors, and scientists. Visit http://www.mos.org. Follow the Museum on Twitter at @museumofscience, and become a fan of the Museum on Facebook at www.facebook.com/museumofscience.

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