Mt Vesuvius
Source: Museum Victoria
Illustration: Darren Pryce
An exhibition depicting the daily life of one of the world's most extraordinary cities: Pompeii.
On August 24, A.D. 79, the Roman city of Pompeii was buried by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The very debris and ash that so suddenly and violently ended life in Pompeii also encased the city in a virtual time capsule. As a result, Pompeii is today one of the most complete and intact archaeological sites in the world.
Most poignant and dramatic, however, are the body casts of the volcano’s victims, frozen in their last moments: a couple in their final embrace, a man clutching a cloth to his mouth, a fleeing slave with his ankle manacle still in place, a dog struggling on its chain.
Melbourne Winter Masterpieces is a Victorian Government initiative and is exclusive to Melbourne, Australia.
Presented in association with the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei.