British Museum exhibition opens today: ‘Life and death – Pompeii and Herculaneum’

Today (28th March), the major exhibition ‘Life and death – Pompeii and Herculaneum’ opens at the British Museum in London.

In AD 79, two Roman cities in Italy – Pompeii and Herculaneum – were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The two cities have been excavated and can be visited. Some extraordinary artefacts have been brought to London for the exhibition, which consists of a reconstructed Roman street and house, in which the artefacts are displayed.

The exhibition runs fom the 28th March until the 29th September. In June, ‘Pompeii live’ will be shown in cinemas around the country, the first live cinema event presented by the British Museum. It will include a live tour of the exhibition and films about Pompeii and Herculaneum today, as well as behind the scenes of the exhibition.

For more information and to view a video trailer, go to the exhibition page on the British Museum web-site at www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum.aspx

In another part of the empire, the Roman town of Colchester in AD 79 had been rebuilt and enlarged, after also being destroyed, in AD 61 – but by fire. In AD 61, in the native British, ‘Boudican’ uprising against the Roman occupation, the Roman towns of Colchester, London and St Albans were destroyed by fire. The uprising was crushed and Colchester was rebuilt, recovered and flourished, while Pompeii and Herculaneum lay buried under volcanic material for centuries. There is a layer of dark, burnt, Boudican destruction material under the walled town centre of Colchester, with the remains of pre-Boudican buildings and artefacts and, above it, the remains of post-Boudican buildings. For example, the remains of a Roman shop have been found under the High Street, still with its stock of pottery, but all smashed and burned during the uprising. The town wall was built circa AD 65-80 to protect Colchester after the uprising. So Colchester’s archaeology can provide a  ‘snapshot’ of the Roman town here, created by the destruction of AD 61, whereas Pompeii and Herculaneum were completely destroyed and also, paradoxically, completely preserved by the destruction of AD 79.

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