Credits:
This exhibit is based on the design and presentation developed by the Gulf Coast Exploreum, the Science Museum of Minnesota,
the San Diego Natural History Museum, and Discovery Place. Organized by Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei.
Artifact Photo Credits: William Starling, photographer. Artifact descriptions: The Complete Pompeii. Thames & Hudson: New York. 2007.
The Statue of Aphrodite
The goddess Aphrodite, also called Venus, is shown preparing for a bath. Her pose echoes that of a famous statue of the goddess by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles.
Her left foot rests on the wings of a cupid and her left arm on a small statue, perhaps of a priestess or devotee.
Gladiator's Helmet
This helmet was worn at Pompeii’s amphitheater by a heavily armored gladiator called a murmillo. Missing from the crest is the splendid
plume of feathers or horsehair. The murmillo also carried a tall shield and wore an arm guard on his right arm, a leg guard and short skin
guard on his left leg.
Cast of a Woman
Pots and Serving Dishes
Examples of cookware and dishes commonly found in Pompeii’s kitchens.
Two Pairs of Earrings
These earrings were worn by Pompeii’s women. The sphere-shaped earrings on the right are decorated with close-embossed dotting,
a style that was well known in the Vesuvius area.
Funeral Statue of a Woman
This larger-than-life statue of a Roman matron is typical of the funerary portraits that adorned Pompeian tombs. The woman is wearing a
stola pulled over her head; her expression and posture represent the pious, modest and woman.
House of Venus In A Shell
This is a painting of Venus lying in a conch shell with a nymph to either side of her.
The nymph on the left side is shown riding a dolphin while the other supports the shell.
Large Shipping Amphorae
These four shipping containers, or amphorae, are typical Pompeian Red Ware. The interior of each was coated with pitch to seal the otherwise porous pottery.
A cork stopper would have closed the top opening.
Statue of Baccus
Bacchus was the Roman god of wine and drink, equated with the Greek god Dionysus. This statue represents the god as a youth. The
large eyes are rendered in ivory and a brown-colored glass paste.
Sitting Man
A Pompeian man frozen in his last moments. He was found sitting with his back to the wall and his knees drawn up.
Bust of a Woman
This bust illustrates one of the simpler hairstyles worn by Pompeian women. More elaborate styles featured very high and full crowns of curls.
Women often added hairpieces to achieve these fashion dictates.
House of Diomedes
The devastation of Mount Vesuvius was experienced by all social classes. When the House of Diomedes was excavated in the early 1770's
twenty bodies were discovered inside, some were richly bejeweled women and children. This house is located along the Via dei Sepolcri
(Street of Tombs), outside the Herculaneum Gate. It had a private bath suite, swimming pool, and sea views.
Bath House
This is the site of a popular Roman bath house, much like the one visited by Pliny the Elder. Bathing was an important activity for the
citizens of Pompeii. It was part of the daily regimen for men of all classes, and many women as well. The facilities in some ways
resembled modern spas or health clubs.
Palestra Grande
The Large Palaestra (exercise ground) is located next to the Amphitheatre at the far southeastern corner of Pompeii. It was surrounded
by a colonnaded portico on three sides and measured 141 x 107 meters. The swimming pool at the center of the Palaestra was continuously
supplied with fresh water flowing through the public aqueduct.
Porta Nocera
All of Pompeii's cemeteries were located outside the city walls, as Roman law forbade burial within the city. Porta Nocera,
located just beyond the tree-lined sidewalk, was named after the Nucerian gate leading out of the city. Cemeteries were often
bustling public places deliberately placed alongside important roads, so the deceased would be remembered by all who passed by.
The House of Venus in a Shell
This house is situated on the Via dell'Abbondanza, the main street of Pompeii. The central panel of a massive mural at the south
end of the peristyle (colonnaded porch) shows the Venus, the goddess of love and nature, lying in a shell, surrounded by two
dolphin-riding cupids. More statuettes and paintings of Venus have been found in the houses and streets of Pompeii than any
other deity. This demonstrates the popular status of Venus as patroness goddess of the town.
Amphitheater
The Amphitheater at Pompeii is the oldest known permanent amphitheatre in Italy, having been constructed shortly after the
foundation of the Roman colony at Pompeii, probably around 70 B.C. Built at private expense by Gaius Quinctius Valgus and
Marcus Porcius, it was dedicated to the inhabitants of Pompeii and served as a symbol of the new political order. In A.D. 59, a
deadly riot pitting inhabitants of Pompeii against those of neighboring Nuceria led Roman authorities to impose a decade-long ban
on gladiatorial games in the amphitheater.
House of Menander
The estate is referred to as the “House of Menander” because there is a well-preserved fresco of the ancient poet Menander in a
niche in the peristyle (columned porch) surrounding a garden. Almost as big as a whole city block, the wall-paintings of the
house are predominantly Fourth Style, many of them dating to the period after the earthquake that destroyed much of Pompeii
in A.D. 62.
Misenum
Located just steps away from the Bay of Naples, the ancient city of Misenum was once home to Pliny the Elder and his nephew Pliny the Younger.
It is located almost due west of Pompeii and was the base for the largest fleet of the Roman Navy in AD 79.
Ancient Pompeii
Pompeii was a thriving provincial center in the heart of Campania and due south of the long-dormant Mt. Vesuvius. With a cosmopolitan
population of approximately 20,000, it was renowned for its olives, wine and garum, a fermented fish sauce. Much of the city’s prosperity
was due to the incredibly fertile volcanic soils of the region.
Pompeii Ruins
Pompeii was lost for nearly 1700 years before its rediscovery in 1748. With more than 2 million visitors every year, it is one of the
most popular tourist attractions in Italy today. Explore the ruins of this once prosperous city.
Oplontis
In ancient times, the city of Oplontis was a well-developed residential center along the Campanian coast of the Bay of Naples due
west of Pompeii. It was home to Rectina, the sister-in-law of Pliny the Elder.
Stabiae
Pliny the Elder was forced to land on these shores in AD 79. Located just 4.5 miles south of Pompeii, the seaside resort town of
Stabiae was almost completely buried in ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
