28 March – 29 September 2013
Exhibition closed
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Recommend this exhibition
AD 79. In just 24 hours, two cities in the Bay of Naples in southern Italy were buried by a catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Preserved under ash, the cities lay buried for just over 1,600 years, their rediscovery providing an unparalleled glimpse into the daily life of the Roman Empire.
From the bustling street to the intimate spaces of a Roman home, this major exhibition will take you to the heart of people’s lives in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Read press release
Highlight objects
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Gold bracelet in the form of a coiled snake, 1st Century AD, Roman, Pompeii
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Wall painting of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife. From the House of Terentius Neo, Pompeii. AD 50–79
© Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei -
Carbonised wooden cradle. From the House of M.P.P.Granianus, Herculaneum, 1st century AD
© Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei -
Plaster cast of a dog. From the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, AD 79
© Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei -
Satyr and maenads, marble wall panel, From the House of the Dionysiac Reliefs, Herculaneum, 1st century AD
© Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei -
Relief with Bacchus and followers, marble wall panel, From the House of the Dionysiac Reliefs, Herculaneum, 1st century AD
© Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei -
Mosaic of a guard dog. From the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, 1st century AD
© Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei -
Fragment of a wall painting showing a man reclining to drink. From Pompeii, 1st century AD
The eruption story

The day Mount Vesuvius erupted
Explore the 24-hour timeline, based on an eyewitness account and archaeological evidence, to piece together the stages of the eruption and its devastating effects on the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Catalogue

By exhibition curator Paul Roberts
This captivating book explores the lives of the ordinary people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Includes new photography and over 200 objects.
Making 2,000-year-old bread

Giorgio Locatelli recreates a loaf of carbonised Roman bread found in a Pompeii baker's oven.
★★★★★
‘undoubtedly one of the most momentous archaeological exhibitions
ever staged’
The Guardian
★★★★★
‘a wonderful show of wonderful things, unmissable’
Independent on Sunday
★★★★★
‘nothing I’ve seen or read before tells the story in the way the
British Museum does’
The Daily Telegraph
★★★★★
‘a brilliantly told story of love, life, sex and death’
Metro