A major, monumental occasion has commenced today for the British Museum, London. The exhibition on the history of Pompeii and Herculaneum is now open to the public to discover the buried cities’ history until the closing date on the 29th September this year. This is the museum’s first major exhibition in over 40 years.
Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, says:
‘This will be a major exhibition for the British Museum in 2013, made possible through collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendence of Naples and Pompeii which has meant extremely generous loans of precious objects from their collections, some that have never travelled before.’
The two cities, laying on the bay of Naples in southern Italy, were buried by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79; only to be rediscovered by archaeologists over 1,700 years later. Over 250 finds have been found from excavations both long ago and recent – to allow the British public to have an insight to Roman life. These artefacts have never left Italy until now and visitors to London will be the first to appreciate Italy’s iconic history.
The British Museum, London, where the exhibition will be held.
The exhibition will deliver to its visitors, a taste of daily life of the people in both cities, from the nature of the streets right down to home and family life. There will even be a cast of victims who suffered in the eruption, including a family with two children. With tickets already selling fast, this new and notorious event is sure to attract many across the country. Tickets for students up to the age of 18 cost £12.50 and any adults 18+ pay the full price of £15.00.
