What I learned about Pompeii

I had a day off work in the middle of the week, and I wanted to spend it doing something that I've been putting off. (besides laundry and house work)  I've been wanting to see the Pompeii exhibit ever since I saw the signs for it in the summer, but I kept pushing it back. I made the excuse several times that the museum would be too busy on the weekends. So having a day off on Wednesday was the perfect opportunity to go.

It wast the best exhibit Ive seen and the museum (The Egypt and Mayan exhibits were both better) but I still learned a lot about the disaster. 

Here are the top 3 things I learned at the exhibit.

1. They decorated their houses with beautiful mosaics

The walls, floors and ceilings of many houses in Pompeii were decorated with colourful mosaics.  They were made from tiny pieces of limestone called tesserae. The tiny squares of coloured stone tiles were arranged to make pictures. The most famous mosaic is of Alexander the Great, it was made from around a million tesserae and was found in the largest house in Pompeii, the house of faun.

A floor mosaic of a guard dog

A mosaic of a distinguished lady whose identity is a mystery

2. There was a temple for the Egyptian God Isis

The most preserved temple in Pompeii was for the Egyptian God Isis. The temple had been recently restored due to an earthquake, which is why scientists believe it is so well preserved. Although Pompeii was a roman city Isis was popular among the poor, because she promised resurrection and prosperity.

Egyptian goddess of fertility and rebirth. Found in her temple.

She was adapted to Roman tastes by Greek clothing and hair, yet she still hold an ankh. (Egyptian symbol of life)

3. How the plaster casts were made

The people of Pompeii were buried in ash. As the ash hardened around them, their shape was preserved while their bodies decayed. To make the casts, excavators poured plaster into the hollow pockets and waited for the plaster to harden. Then after a few days they chipped away revealing the shape of the person.

This cast was made in the House of Orpheus, the same house where the dog mosaic was discovered

Seeing the casts of the people was sad, knowing that they could have escaped if they knew what was coming. 

I love artwork so the mosaics and the sculptures were my favourite parts of the display.