We attended the media preview of Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town 79CE and the session was an intriguing one for us, especially after looking  at all the collection of artefacts, which is currently on display at the National Museum of Singapore. For your information, all the artefacts are original, not replicas!

Dr. Antonio Varone, the Director of Scientific Cultural Service at the Archaelogical Superintendence of Pompeii was there and he shared with us his views on this exhibition.

“The main purpose of the exhibition is to introduce the visitors to this miracle and present Pompeii and the other Vesuvius cities to an audience that hasn’t had the opportunity to visit the ancient cities destroyed by the eruption of 79 AD yet.”

After the Q & A session with the media, we went on a special tour guided by Dr. Varone and the curator of Pompeii: Life in A Roman Town 79CE, Ms Tzan Tan.

Ms. Tzan explained that the exhibition is categorised into three main sections, which is Pompeii: The Eruption, Pompeii: The Town and Pompeii: the Home.

In Pompeii: The Eruption, you will be greeted with body casts of eight victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption. These body casts capture the emotions and struggles in the fight for survival. Honestly speaking, when we were at this section, we can sense the struggle to survive and escape the Mount Vesuvius eruption. You have to be there to really feel it.

After the emotion-filled section of the exhibition, you will then enter into another section, Pompeii: The Town, where you will be able to gain insights into the trade and commerce of Pompeii as well as the kinds of public entertainment that the people indulge in. One of the main highlights of this section is the gladiator’s gear. This is your chance to see the real gears worn by gladiators back then. Yes those are real ones, not of those types worn by Russell Crowe in the movie Gladiator. This is the real deal!

Lastly, you will find yourself surrounded by luxurious villas and gardens adorned with beautiful frescoes which were common at that time. We were amazed that the frescoes survived the devastating eruption! In this section, you will also be able to see the Mosaic Fountain. The fountain is the most valuable artefact in the exhibition.

Be sure to be there as we will definitely pay another visit to the National Museum of Singapore for another round of Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town 79CE exhibition.

See you there!

Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town 79CE

Presented by National Museum of Singapore and organised by Soprintendenza Speciale per i beni Archelologici di Napoli e Pompei and Melbourne Museum

16 Oct 2010 – 23 Jan 2011

10am-6pm (last entry 5.30pm)

Exhibition Galleries 1 & 2, Basement

$12 (incl handling fee)