What Was Life Like in Pompeii Before Mount Vesuvius Erupted Nearly 2,000 Years Ago?

Today, Pompeii is famous for being the site of a natural disaster—the deadly 79 C.E. eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which left the ancient city frozen in time.

But before the volcano unleashed its torrent of rock, ash and toxic gases, Pompeii was just another Roman town on the coast of the Mediterranean. What was daily life like for the residents of Pompeii before the eruption? Where did they live, what objects did they use, and what sights did they see as they walked down the street?

An immersive new exhibition at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra aims to answer these and other questions. Called “Pompeii,” the multi-sensory experience uses digital projections and sounds to recreate the ancient city, with a goal of whisking visitors back in time to the moments before Mount Vesuvius’ eruption.

It features more than 90 artifacts, such as statues, sculptures, frescoes, cookware, funerary objects and jewelry. Visitors will also be able to see replicas of casts of some of Mount Vesuvius’ victims.

The exhibition is focused on the “real, lived human experience” in Pompeii in an effort to help modern museumgoers connect with the people of the past, says Lily Withycombe, the museum’s lead coordinating curator, to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Emmy Groves.

“We wanted to display objects that people will recognize and relate to—from cooking wear to tweezers to bowls, glass bottles—but then also have these items that really astonish people and allow them to think about artistic innovation and some of the extraordinary artworks that have come out of Pompeii,” Withycombe adds.

The show is divided into four Roman domus (houses). Museumgoers will also be able to stroll down a roughly 115-foot-long corso (a main avenue) that ends at a 20-foot-tall, floor-to-ceiling replica of Mount Vesuvius.

While much of the exhibition focuses on life in Pompeii before the eruption wiped out the city, it also includes a dramatic recreation of the disaster itself.

“It starts with a low rumble, then an explosion and a deafening roar,” writes the Guardian’s Kelly Burke. “A pyroclastic flow bursts from the volcano and hurtles towards us at a frightening speed. Showers of ash appear to pummel the space around us.”

The exhibition debuted at the Grand Palais in Paris in 2020, after being delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, “Pompeii” is making its first appearance in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s being offered through a partnership between the National Museum of Australia, Grand Palais and GEDEON Experiences in France and the Pompeii Archaeological Park in Italy.

Gabriel Zuchtriegel, an archaeologist who serves as the director of the archaeological park, hopes the exhibition will offer a taste of Pompeii that’s “akin to what one might encounter when visiting the excavations at Pompeii today,” he says in a statement.

The exhibition comes amid new daily visitor limits at Pompeii Archaeological Park, which has been grappling with record-breaking crowds and occasional incidents of vandalism.

Archaeologists continue to excavate the preserved city, unveiling new discoveries all the time. In recent years, they’ve unearthed a shrine with blue walls, children’s graffiti, a pregnant tortoise, a painting of a flatbread resembling a pizza and the remains of more Mount Vesuvius victims. Outside the park, scientists are also using DNA to learn more about some of the estimated 2,000 Pompeiians who perished in the disaster.

“Pompeii” is on view at the National Museum of Australia through May 4, 2025.

Sarah Kuta | READ MORE

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.