Exhibitions

Life and death: Pompeii and Herculaneum

From 27 Mar 2013 to 28 Sep 2013

The British Museum presents a major exhibition of some 250 objects from the ill-fated southern Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, both of which were destroyed by lava from the Mount Vesuvius volcano in 79 AD.

The artefacts, many of which have never been displayed outside Italy, include both recent discoveries and well-known finds.

Although this catastrophic event annihilated both cities within a mere 24 hours, it offers people today an unparalleled chance to observe the daily life of people from that time, providing a snap shot of a society frozen in time.

The objects on show include sculpted marble reliefs and fragments of frescoes, as well as cast models of victims of the eruption, including the famous cast of a dog, immortalised at the moment of its death.

10.00-17.30. Fri 10.00-20.30