Over the weekend I managed to catch Pompeii: Life In A Roman Town 79CE at the National Museum.

Pompeii, with Vesuvius in the background, taken 3 years ago.

The funny thing is that I’ve actually been to Pompeii, yes the actual Pompeii itself in Italy.

Pompeii artefacts, taken 3 years ago.

Accessible by train from Rome, one stands in the ruins that was once a thriving city, trying to imagine what it must have been like for the citizens in 79CE when Mount Vesuvius erupted, even as the volcano itself looms ominously in the distance.

The exhibition manages to do just that, as it describes and recreates what went on the day the volcano erupted.

Body casts of the victims of the eruption provides a sobering start to the exhibition, as the details of the expressions, body positions and even clothing of the victims could clearly be seen, due to the preservative nature of the volcanic ash.

A couple, united even in death

One of the highlights of the exhibition for me was a 3D animation recreating the different times of the day of the eruption. The volcano had actually started showing signs of eruption in the early morning of that fateful day, but only erupted in its full magnitude at night, during which the city and its people were wiped out, sent chills down my spine.

As the name suggests, the exhibition went beyond merely describing the events of one day, but in fact painted a very whole picture of what living in Pompeii was like. Not many people are aware that after Vesuvius erupted in 79CE, the city and its people were forgotten and only truly rediscovered in 1738.

(According to Wikipedia, it was actually first discovered in 1599 but an architect covered them again because of the sexual content of the Roman frescoes he found!)

There were also an authentic water fountain on display from House of the Golden Bracelet, so named because a woman was found trying to flee her home with tons of golden bracelets in her pockets!

Children (and adults like myself) will also enjoy putting together paper models of a typical Roman Gladiator hat.

All in all, I say that the exhibition was truly educational, and a very rich experience, telling us the story of Pompeii while also serving an important lesson about the power of Mother Nature.

Do catch Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town 79CE before it ends on January 23! It is open from 10am to 6pm daily but I think you should try to catch the free guided tours if you can (see photo above for timings). Tickets are $12.