LEGO Pompeii

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To round off my last post I gave a link to a pretty cool bit of research that was using X-Ray technology to read writing on carbonised scrolls from the Roman town of Herculaneum. Herculaneum, and the better known town of Pompeii, are extraordinary examples of archaeological site preservation - on August 24, AD 79 the eruption of nearby Mt Vesuvius, near the Bay of Naples in Italy, resulted in the burial of these towns, which lay largely preserved by a layer of ash and volcanic pumice for several centuries.

The specific date, by the way, is thanks to a written down eyewitness account of the eruption by Pliny the Younger.

Pompeii, one of the most frequently visited archaeological sites in the world, is the most extensive excavation of an urban site that has ever been undertaken (Alcock & Cherry 2009).

Pompeii, with Mt Vesuvius in the background.  Image sourced here.


There have been some absolutely remarkable archaeological finds at these sites - as well as the carbonised scrolls archaeologists have uncovered amazingly well preserved fresco wall paintings, evocative traces of the unfortunate humans and animals trapped by the falling ash, and carbonised food remains!


Part of a fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii. Image sourced here.



A family frozen in time! The ash from the volcano had time to form around the bodies of those killed in the eruption and harden. Eventually the bodies decomposed but left body-shaped cavities that were filled with plaster of Paris at the time of excavation to produce these casts! Image sourced here.


My reason for this introduction to these sites?

A fantastic (and very fun-looking!) example of an exhibit currently on display at the Nicholson Museum in Sydney, Australia - LEGO Pompeii!!! A reconstruction of the ancient town from over 190,000 individual LEGO blocks!

Part of the LEGO Pompeii exhibit currently on display at the Nicholson Museum in Sydney, Australia. Image sourced here.


I mentioned in my first post that communication and engagement are important aspects of archaeology, and by extension, this applies to museums, which are often the 'public face' of archaeology! LEGO Pompeii is definitely one way of exciting and engaging wider audiences - particularly children, and in my opinion the Nicholson Museum should be applauded!

Here is an interesting article on the issue of how to engage and excite museum audiences and the use of “non-traditional” displays in the sector (with some more photos of the LEGO Pompeii exhibit!).

The LEGO Pompeii exhibition runs until the 31st of December 2015. I'm planning to visit Australia later in the year for the Australian Archaeological Association Conference in Fremantle. If I'm travelling via Sydney from New Zealand, I may just have to check it out!

Thanks for Reading,

Nick


Reference

Alcock, S. E. & Cherry, J. F. 2009. The Mediterranean World. In C. Scarre (ed.) The Human Past: World prehistory & the development of human societies (2nd edn). London: Thames & Hudson, pp. 472-517.
 

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