Many are familiar with the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, which buried the Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under a thick blanket of volcanic ash and debris. These cities and their residents were preserved under the Earth’s surface for almost 2,000 years, and have since become tourist destinations in their own right. In an Australian first, history buffs can now explore the famous ancient city before its tragic end with the National Museum of Australia’s latest blockbuster exhibition, Pompeii.
Opening in Canberra on December 13, 2024, and running until May 4, 2025, Pompeii will bring the city’s streets back to life with large-scale digital projections, evocative soundscapes and more than 90 rare artefacts – many of which have never been seen in Australia before.
This highly anticipated exhibition marks the very first time Pompeii will be showcased in the Southern Hemisphere, thanks to an exclusive collaboration with the National Museum of Australia, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii in Italy and the Grand Palais in France, where it originated. It follows on from Discovering Ancient Egypt, the National Museum’s most successful exhibition in its 23-year history, which attracted more than 200,000 visitors.
Director of the National Museum, Katherine McMahon said: “Ancient Pompeii still captures the imagination almost 2,000 years after its destruction. It is a story that has been passed down through the ages and one that keeps evolving with each new archaeological discovery.”
A standout feature of the multisensory exhibition is an immersive 360-degree recreation of the tragic Mount Vesuvius eruption, presented every 15 minutes. The dramatic volcanic eruption is set against a backdrop of fascinating ancient artefacts, with some excavated in only the last six years.
National Museum curator Dr Lily Withycombe said: “For three centuries, excavations on the Pompeii archaeological site have uncovered extraordinary traces of everyday life, such as jewellery, sculptures and pottery, which serve as poignant reflections of the lives shattered on the day Mount Vesuvius erupted.
“More recently, excavations have unearthed large, elegant homes, such as the House with the Garden with its amazing frescoes and graffiti, the House of Leda and the Swan and the House of Orion. All these new sites are represented in the exhibition.”
You can experience Pompeii just moments before the eruption at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra from December 13. You can find out more at the website.