POMPEII: TALES FROM AN ERUPTION
Story Ideas
Trend: Fascination with Antiquity
Choices Made/ Psychology of Disasters
Will Mt. Vesuvius erupt again and when? Is the region prepared? What have we learned?
The ART: What it Tells Us and Relevance to Today
Fine and Decorative Arts and Architecture of Pompeii and Region
Neoclassical style in the permanent collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art
Tips from Master Exhibitions Designer, Terry Beckham
Food and Dining
WHY Birmingham? Try its Italian connection, blockbuster track record, and national museum leadership, among other reasons.
Volcanoes: The Science
High Tech Meets Archaeology and Conservation
Home and Garden, Garden Design
Medical
Travel / Destination: Birmingham, AL
Reader / Viewer Promotion: Invite readers or viewers to share their Pompeii experience
Go to Sources
Trend: Fascination with Antiquity
What is the current fascination with all things Roman? Ancient Rome seems to be everywhere—in popular television series (HBO’s “Rome”), films and documentaries in the making (Roman Polanski is currently directing a film in Italy based on Robert Harris’s Pompeii), historical comparisons, bestseller books (Cullen Murphy’s Are We Rome?), a passion for Mediterranean food, toga-inspired haute couture (2007 summer collections) and entertaining, and important new gallery installations nationwide (Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new Greek and Roman Galleries).
The Pompeii exhibition coming to the Birmingham Museum of Art may be seen as Roman civilization frozen in its prime, before the empire imploded. And help us understand its enduring allure…
Choices made / Psychology of Disasters
Knowing that disaster has struck and can strike again, what is it that makes people stay? Return and rebuild? What do those who flee take with them?
The people of Pompeii made similar decisions to those faced by residents of hurricane prone areas today. From this exhibition we learn that human nature and response to circumstance, especially natural disaster, has changed little in 2,000 years. What choices do we make in the face of a looming disaster? With minutes or hours to evacuate our homes, one asks: 'Do I stay or go? If I go, what do I take with me?' What victims of Vesuvius's 79 AD eruption took with them tells us about who they were and how they lived. People in ancient Pompeii (where many wealthy Romans had second homes) chose to stay or flee with what they prized most. A mother clutched a statue of Mercury to speed her family on their way; doctors grabbed their medical bags in order to help others; fathers clung to their children; the wealthy took precious jewelry and coin collections.
Guest Curator of Pompeii Robin Meador-Woodruff is particularly taken by a delicate necklace found with the remains of a woman in the Alley of Thesmus in Pompeii. “The piece is acknowledged by many to be the finest piece of jewelry to come from the Vesuvian region to date,” she says. “Made of gold with foil leaves, it would have been worn doubled across the chest bandolier-style over the clothing of the woman who owned it. She also had several other pieces of fine jewelry with her, as well as quite a bit of her family silver. I collect Victorian jewelry and perhaps this is why I respond to the necklace. I can imagine the woman who owned and treasured it, possibly intending to pass it along to a daughter as an heirloom. Instead, we find that it is an heirloom for all of us.”
Oct 18: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute hosts a related symposium called “Fire & Water,” comparing the experience and aftermath of the people who faced the wrath of Hurricane Katrina and of Vesuvius. A recent story in The Birmingham News told the stories of several families affected by Katrina. Damon Williams has begun a new life in Birmingham, but left prized possessions behind in New Orleans. “He is in the process of trying to get duplicates of his class ring, high school diploma and band jacket,” the story reports (August 29, 2007).
Will Mt. Vesuvius erupt again and when? Is the region prepared? What have we learned?
When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD over three days, destroying the cities of Pompeii and nearby towns, the effects were felt as far away as Naples, third most populated city in Italy today. Citizens were given little warning and most perished after being overwhelmed by poisonous gases or after being buried alive in a rain of thick volcanic ash. Some three million residents live near the base of Vesuvius today. Many experts believe the region is ill prepared for another eruption, which scientists are predicting in this century. Although a relatively small volcano, Mt. Vesuvius’s seismic activity shows it poses significant risk. The Italian government discourages development in the area, is putting evacuation plans in place, and is even offering monetary incentives to relocate. Understanding the risks and with evidence of what an eruption can mean, residents of Pompeii remain as do those who experienced hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
What lessons have been or can be learned from natural disasters like Pompeii and Katrina about monitoring for such disasters, putting proper evacuation plans in place, and rebuilding cities? When Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, Pompeii had already been rebuilt from a prior volcano eruption and an earthquake in 69 AD.
The ART: What it Tells Us and Relevance to Today
Many artifacts and works of art excavated in Pompeii tell us about the final moments of the lives of the citizens and illustrate how an entire city perished. Casts of victims’ bodies are displayed in the context of their often very beautiful homes and belongings. So we also know how they lived. Perhaps no other collection of ancient art is so revealing, giving us an intimate look at people living nearly 2,000 years ago. The art with which they lived allows us to step back in time and hear their stories.
“Although the culture seems foreign and strange, these are people who were not so very different from us,” says Guest Curator Robin Meador-Woodruff. “We can find those commonalities if we look closely at the artifacts and the archaeological record. Families in different circumstances are represented, in varying social class, lifestyle and wealth; but the eruption of Vesuvius cut across all such differences and leveled the field. The final hours of all who were caught by the eruption were equally horrific, regardless of their wealth or status. One cannot help but empathize with the victims, but also, who among us does not realize that none of us are immune to natural disasters that are totally unforeseeable and inescapable?”
Fine and Decorative Arts and Architecture of Pompeii and Region
Pompeii and its highly civilized culture have inspired art, interior design, and architecture through the ages. Classical influences remains in the southeastern United States in the enduring popularity of neoclassical styles from colonial days through early 1800s Greek revival, and even in jewelry such as the cameo pins worn by many women.
Frescoes—Pompeii is noted for its magnificent frescoes, a form of painting made by applying pigment to wet plaster so the image becomes part of the wall and is virtually indestructible. All Roman wall painting was defined by the four styles found during excavations in Pompeii. These four styles range from simple representations of architectural brick (the original faux), to elaborate scenes depicting literary or mythological references. In addition to these styles are paintings of gardens and popular subjects. Frescoes conveyed an owner’s level of education or culture through the references they contained. Frescoes on the walls of The House of the Menander refer to Menander, a Greek poet whom only the well read would recognize. The frescoes in the dining area were meant to inspire conversation.
Mosaics—were prized possessions and each was crafted so that it could easily be removed from the floor and transported to a new location. Among the works of art in Pompeii is the Medusa mosaic.
Birmingham Museum of Art graphic designer James Williams has created an original mosaic especially for the exhibition floor by digitally manipulating scans of ancient mosaic designs.
Neoclassical style in the permanent collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA)
The BMA houses the largest collection of Wedgwood porcelains outside England. Neoclassical taste was most industriously promoted in England and the European continent by the pottery firm of Josiah Wedgwood and Thomas Bentley. Its wares were fashioned after engravings and plaster casts of classical pieces. The related BMA exhibition Artes Etruriae Renascuntur: Sir William Hamilton, Josiah Wedgwood, and the Dream of Etruria (August 26, 2007-January 13, 2008), will explore the 18th-century English passion for Greek, Etruscan, and Roman culture by comparing actual Greek red-figure pottery (several pieces on loan from Emory University’s Carlos Museum) with Wedgwood’s “copies” and Hamilton’s “reproductions.”
Tips from Master Exhibitions Designer, Terry Beckham
Birmingham Museum of Art Exhibitions Designer Terry Beckham spent nearly two years planning for Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption. Beckham has produced 422 exhibitions since joining the Museum in 1984. The challenge of Pompeii included transforming 10,000 square feet of Asian gallery space to make room for nearly 500 artifacts—the Museum’s largest exhibition ever. Beckham gauged the size of objects to fit through doorways and into the 12,500-ton capacity elevator, and planned space to allow for the unusually large dimensions of the Pompeian frescoes. Treating each object as a work of art in its own right, including body casts, Beckham carefully chose paint colors and calculated lighting for the galleries to acknowledge and enhance the emotions evoked by this exhibition. Beckham can discuss his design approach and tips on painting, lighting, and protecting floors when remodeling.
Food and Dining
Because Pompeiians’ lives were buried for nearly 2,000 years and because organic objects carbonized rather than burned up, we can identify what they grew, the foods they ate and how they ate. The region still makes and exports a fish paste called garam and, lost for hundreds of years, Pompeii wines have been re-cultivated in the rich volcanic soil. (There is some comparison to viniculture in the shadow of Mt. St. Helens, the 1980 eruption of which is compared to Vesuvius's.)
Pompeii culture revolved largely around dining. Pompeiians reclined as they ate on one of the dining couches you will see in the exhibition. It was considered gauche to eat sitting up, and they often used only spoons or their hands as utensils. The frescoes, or paintings, in the dining area were designed to inspire conversation. Dining rooms were called Triclenia (plural for Triclenium) because they typically included three dining couches, used to recline while eating. Many homes had two triclenia, an outdoor room with exquisite garden scene frescoes for summer, and one deeper in the house for winter. Moregine, or “House of the Triclenia,” contained three triclenia, a sign of their wealth.
Bold wines may be paired with Mediterranean menus. Aromatic herbs (oregano, rosemary, mint…) and olive oil infuse fish dishes such as “gilthead” sole, flounder, anchovy, sardine, and monkfish. Tomatoes, artichokes, ricotta cheese, onions and eggplant often are incorporated. Shellfish were and are common, especially in soups and stews. Rabbit and lamb are popular, as are breads and nuts.
The Museum’s Terrace Café chef Jason Mezrano has prepared full Pompeii-inspired menus to be served at lunch and Wednesday evenings during the exhibition (Oct 14-Jan 27). Other local chefs have been invited to prepare dishes according to the theme and ingredients typical of ancient Roman civilizations. They will use traditional ingredients from the region around Pompeii to create a "last meal" that they may have eaten.
WHY Birmingham? Try its Italian connection, blockbuster track record, and national museum leadership, among other reasons.
Although Birmingham is a city of some 200,000 people with a surrounding population of just more than a million, Italian authorities chose the city to host Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption over a number of museums in significantly larger markets. Why? As with many cities around the country including Boston and New York, Italian immigrants have made lasting contributions to the city of Birmingham and the region. Birmingham was built in large part by the work of Mediterranean immigrants and left their indelible mark on the architecture, landscaping, and cuisine of the city and region. Birmingham was chosen on the strength of its Italian heritage, along with the Museum’s history of successfully producing groundbreaking exhibitions including The First Emperor: Treasures from Ancient China in 1996, coming this fall to the High Museum, Atlanta, and Ancient Egypt in 1999. Museum Director Gail Andrews also is newly elected president of the Association of Art Museum Directors (200 museums in the U.S. and Canada).
Volcanoes: The Science
The McWane Science Center presents the “It’s a Blast” volcano exhibition during the course of Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption. McWane also offers a 30-minute program Vesuvius, Krakatoa, and Mount St. Helens showing the inner workings of one of the most powerful events on Earth and show the different types of volcanoes, how and where they form, and where the next big eruption may occur.
McWane volcanologist James Lamb describes the exhibit: “This is a ‘composite cone’ of loose ash and harder layers of lava. That’s what erupted in 79 AD over Pompeii, like a Coca-Cola bottle that’s shaken up, the ash comes up and flows down the sides. At Mt. St. Helens, lava oozed out down the sides of the volcano.” McWane Exhibits Shop Manager Steve Pocus built the volcano, which rumbles, smokes and lights up to show lava inside as it would travel from deep inside the volcano, emptying outside. “A diffuser rolls the fog down the side of the hill,” he explains.
Sam Pezillo, PhD, Birmingham Southern College, also can speak on the geology of the area, earthquakes and volcanoes, including the eyewitness account in 79 AD of Pliny the Younger.
High Tech Meets Archaeology and Conservation
Modern technology is allowing new discoveries, including the imaging of carbonized molecules in 2000 year-old papyrus scrolls long thought to be cords of burned wood. We are now able to read original texts of the ancient Roman and Greek philosophers.
Home and Garden, Garden Design
Because the trappings of their lives were not incinerated, but instead were carbonized, we know what the residents of Pompeii ate, the seeds they planted, and how their often elaborate gardens were designed. The vegetation is depicted in frescoes and organic remains, like recently deciphered papyrus scrolls, which carbonized rather than burning up.
Seeking inspiration in the classical? The garden frescoes from homes in Pompeii and Herculaneum are a guide to cultivating gardens full of citrus and fig trees and vines (all of which flourish in the southern U.S.). Ancient Romans maintained vast herb gardens for cooking and home remedies, so they planted basil, marjoram, oregano, dill, anise, lemon balm, rue, rosemary, thyme (an antiseptic), and garlic (to lower blood pressure). Violets, roses and lilies were used in Pompeiian cosmetics, balms and perfumes. Theirs was among the first recorded aromatherapy and homeopathy.
Medical
Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption includes medical implements belonging to one of two physicians who it seems grabbed their doctors’ bags and risked their own lives in order to help others. Birmingham physician Dennis Pappas, MD, is a collector of ancient medical instruments and can discuss the practice of medicine in the ancient world and medical remedies used in Pompeii.
Travel / Destination: Birmingham, AL
Birmingham is easily accessible by interstate (I-65, I-59, I-20) and by direct flights on major airlines including Delta and SouthWest, which offers direct flights from New Orleans, Nashville, Louisville, Raleigh-Durham, and Little Rock.
Birmingham is perfect weekend getaway during the Pompeii exhibition, not only for art lovers, but also for couples, families with young children, sports enthusiasts, college students, and cultural and culinary tourists. In addition to Pompeii, young families will enjoy interactive exhibits at the Birmingham Museum of Art and McWane Science Center, which features a volcano exhibit and related program. The Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and Vulcan Park also are not to be missed. The Downtown Birmingham Public Library is hosting a series of brown bag lunchtime speakers.
Golfers will be challenged by the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and one of these beautiful courses may be played right here at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa.
Recent national feature stories have highlighted the city’s superb culinary scene. Click here for a complete listing of restaurants, hotels, sites and activities.
Reader / Viewer Promotion: Invite readers or viewers to share their Pompeii experiences.
The Birmingham Museum of Art will provide two tickets to the exhibition that you can award for the best story. Birmingham architect Fritz Woehle remembers his first visit to Pompeii in 1954 as a young U.S. Marine Corps officer. (See sources.)
