Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Missed Tour of Pompeii in Italy
I missed touring Pompeii in person in Italy but thanks to daughter The Wild Child and Marcy, I did get to see the exhibit of artifacts at the museum.
When Roy and I were in Italy, I wanted to tour Pompeii, which was just a few miles from Rome. The tickets were inexpensive for the day tour, but as usual Roy and I disagreed on matters of finance and places to see. (We were NOT good traveling companions). Roy insisted that the cost of tickets for him, me, and Jeannie (our teener daughter) plus meals would cost too much. I differed with him and the dispute became quite acrimonious. He handled the money on trips and I lost the battle. We didn't go.
On our last day in Rome, he purchased a number of bottles of liquor to smuggle into Algeria, which, if caught, would have resulted in a huge fine plus imprisonment for him and possibly me! PLUS the cost of the booze EXCEEDED the cost of tickets to Pompeii. The fight was on again in spades!! He won; I lost. The booze was safely smuggled in and he was quite proud of himself.
After we returned states side, the miniseries "The Last Days of Pompeii" aired. Some of the scenes, especially the gladiator arena, were actually shot in Pompeii. Poor Roy. After several decades of marriage to me he never learned when it was prudent to keep his mouth shut. He enjoyed the movie and exclaimed, "Gol'dang, Mama. If I'd known it was like that, I'd have gone to see it!!" Bad move. The fight was on again, with me yelling, "I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU WHAT IT WAS LIKE!!"
But now I've seen the artifacts, documentary and info at the museum. Not as good as touring the actual ruins but it was good and very interesting.
Articles about the exhibit in post below.
Aug 2008 update: Jo and Loyd are on a Mediterranean Cruise and spent a week in Rome. She IMd me last night that they had toured Pompeii. I am so very glad for her.
Video on discovery in Heraculum, sister city of Pompeii destroyed during same eruption.
heraculum
....................................................................
When Roy and I were in Italy, I wanted to tour Pompeii, which was just a few miles from Rome. The tickets were inexpensive for the day tour, but as usual Roy and I disagreed on matters of finance and places to see. (We were NOT good traveling companions). Roy insisted that the cost of tickets for him, me, and Jeannie (our teener daughter) plus meals would cost too much. I differed with him and the dispute became quite acrimonious. He handled the money on trips and I lost the battle. We didn't go.
On our last day in Rome, he purchased a number of bottles of liquor to smuggle into Algeria, which, if caught, would have resulted in a huge fine plus imprisonment for him and possibly me! PLUS the cost of the booze EXCEEDED the cost of tickets to Pompeii. The fight was on again in spades!! He won; I lost. The booze was safely smuggled in and he was quite proud of himself.
After we returned states side, the miniseries "The Last Days of Pompeii" aired. Some of the scenes, especially the gladiator arena, were actually shot in Pompeii. Poor Roy. After several decades of marriage to me he never learned when it was prudent to keep his mouth shut. He enjoyed the movie and exclaimed, "Gol'dang, Mama. If I'd known it was like that, I'd have gone to see it!!" Bad move. The fight was on again, with me yelling, "I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU WHAT IT WAS LIKE!!"
But now I've seen the artifacts, documentary and info at the museum. Not as good as touring the actual ruins but it was good and very interesting.
Articles about the exhibit in post below.
Aug 2008 update: Jo and Loyd are on a Mediterranean Cruise and spent a week in Rome. She IMd me last night that they had toured Pompeii. I am so very glad for her.
Video on discovery in Heraculum, sister city of Pompeii destroyed during same eruption.
heraculum
....................................................................
Labels: missed pompeii - saw exhibit
Pompeii Exhibit - Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Tx
| Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption |
 |
| On view through June 22, 2008 at the Caroline Wiess Law Building |
Villa of the Papyri, Herculaneum, Head of an Amazon, Mid-1st century A.D.
Pompeii, Soprintendenza archeologica di Pompeii
Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption reveals the ancient world through painting, sculpture, and craft. It helps us connect with the victims whose hopes and fears were not so unlike ours today. These works of art will give viewers insight and appreciation into the worlds of the artists who made them and the owners who cherished them.
Visit the MFAH to see the Pompeii Documentary: In the Shadow of the Vesuvius
On August 24, 79 A.D. the world´s most famous volcano, Vesuvius, erupted with pyroclastic fury, burying the city of Pompeii in a mountain of hardened ash. In the only eye witness account, the Roman Historian Pliny the Younger, described the event:
A fearful black cloud was rent by forked and quivering bursts of flame, and parted to reveal great tongues of fire. You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men… Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness.
 | View the MFAH Special Presentation: Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption http://www.mfah.org/microsites/pompeii/ |
Fortunately for us, the darkness proved not to be eternal. In the late 1500s workers digging a canal uncovered slabs of marble and painted fresco walls. In the 1600s more ruins were unearthed. In 1763 an inscription was found that identified the town as the Pompeii written about by Pliny. The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius preserved an unprecedented number of works of art and objects from daily life, as well as remains of about two thousand residents who had not fled at the first signs of trouble.
For many of Pompeii´s citizens life itself had been a form of art. They wore exquisite jewelry fashioned from gold and precious stones. The walls of the homes of the wealthy were painted with Classical themes and their owners walked on mosaics made from tiny pieces of stone and glass.
Statues of gods and goddesses adorned Pompeii´s gardens and courtyards and residents dined on decorated fine silver. For Romans, bathing was a social occasion. The large public baths featured saunas, hot tubs, cold water plunges, and a gymnasium. Massages and perfumed body wraps were popular. Lunch was served. The theater and gladiatorial contests were popular forms of public entertainment. Gladiators were seen as men of courage and often held in high regard. Some even had fan clubs. Gladiators were usually slaves or prisoners trained in combat school to perform special roles using various types of arms. If they fought well, there were sometimes awarded their freedom.
The exhibition consists of 500 objects, generally excavated in the last decade, from three famous and wealthy sites. They include marble statues, wall frescoes, gold jewelry, silver dinner service and household items, bronze household items, coins, and body casts and skeletons of inhabitants who were unable to escape.
Now Playing
| Pompeii Documentary: In The Shadow of Vesuvius Free admission with a ticket to the exhibition Click below to play trailer: | |
1987 Color
57 Minutes
Show Times:
Wed., Jun. 18 12:30 PM
Thu., Jun. 19 10:30 AM
Thu., Jun. 19 12:30 PM
Thu., Jun. 19 2:30 PM
Fri., Jun. 20 11:30 AM
Sat., Jun. 21 10:30 AM
Sat., Jun. 21 12:30 PM
Sat., Jun. 21 2:30 PM
Sat., Jun. 21 4:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 12:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 2:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 4:30 PM
Thu., Jun. 19 10:30 AM
Thu., Jun. 19 12:30 PM
Thu., Jun. 19 2:30 PM
Fri., Jun. 20 11:30 AM
Sat., Jun. 21 10:30 AM
Sat., Jun. 21 12:30 PM
Sat., Jun. 21 2:30 PM
Sat., Jun. 21 4:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 12:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 2:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 4:30 PM
See this film for free when you purchase a ticket to Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption12:30 PM
Thu., Jun. 19 2:30 PM
Fri., Jun. 20 11:30 AM
Sat., Jun. 21 10:30 AM
Sat., Jun. 21 12:30 PM
Sat., Jun. 21 2:30 PM
Sat., Jun. 21 4:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 12:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 2:30 PM
Sun., Jun. 22 4:30 PM
Since the days of the Roman Empire, Italy´s Mount Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times, devastating whole cities and towns. In A.D. 79 the volcano destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, burying people alive as they ran to escape its fury. Lost and forgotten for more than 1,600 years, the once-thriving trade center of Pompeii has been successfully uncovered by archaeologists. At Herculaneum, human skeletons were found in a fatal embrace. Although Vesuvius is sleeping now, this active volcano is never far from the minds of the two million people who live in its shadow.
The documentary unfolds as a mystery, revealing how archeologists and other experts worked from the ruins to piece together the prosperous societies that once flourished in Pompeii and Herculaneum. A vast array of artifacts are revealed, including skeletons, structures, decorative and functional objects, and even the discovery of a dining table set for a meal, preserved for nearly 2,000 years.
Many of the objects included in the MFAH exhibition Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption are featured in the film, with specialists demonstrating the techniques used to re-create life before the disaster. Most devastating is the accuracy with which scholars have determined a timeline that suggests how people spent the hours leading up to the tragedy.
Today, people living in the sprawling metropolis of Naples and the nearby fishing village of Pozzuouli remain under the threat not only of the volcano, but also of earthquakes. The documentary includes compelling scenes shot by Allied forces in 1944, following the most recent eruption of Vesuvius in the modern era. Diligent efforts of the Italian authorities are revealed, alongside the efforts of an international team of scientists who have developed seismic and oceanographic monitoring systems.
The film concludes with a lively annual ritual, the celebration of the Miracle of San Gennaro, the patron saint who protects Naples from the wrath of Mount Vesuvius.
This fascinating documentary recounts the human experience of Mount Vesuvius, past and present, with the unsettling conclusion that residents of the region will never be completely safe. Carefully researched and presented in vivid detail, it will enrich the visitor´s experience of the landmark exhibition Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption.
Labels: Pompeii Exhibit - Museum Fine Arts Houstonh Tx
