Royal Ontario Museum Analysis

The Royal Ontario Museum is one of Toronto’s most respected institutions of scholarship and history. Since 1914 the ROM has housed and exhibited artefacts from every corner of the globe. Being such a prominent Toronto landmark with a glowing reputation the expectations were high for the Pompeii exhibit, showing from June 2015 to January 2016. The overall atmosphere surrounding the exhibit was the drama of such a cataclysmic event. From the banners on the exterior of the museum, which are filled with the bold colours of the volcano, to the main entrance of the exhibit, which is dark and filled by dramatic orchestra music. Before stepping into the exhibit itself the sense of terror from this catastrophe is already felt by the viewer.

The entrance of the exhibit stresses that Pompeii is such an important archeological find because so many artefacts were perfectly preserved from being buried underneath volcanic ash from the day of the eruption in the year 79 until the beginning of excavation in the 1700s. This point illustrated by a Roman bust in near perfect

condition, all the edges still perfectly crisp and not even the tip of the man’s nose was tarnished. On the adjoining plaque the same bust is seen standing amongst the ruins of the building in an antique photograph, further demonstrating the effectiveness of the ash in preserving artefacts. Within the same area a diorama was created to show the scale of Pompeii vs Mount Vesuvius. An 8 foot tall canvas with the volcano printed on towered over the small one metre squared city, showcasing how mammoth it is. A separate wall explains how the Romans were drawn to the area between the Mediterranean Sea and Vesuvius by its fertile soil.
The next area began the theme for the first part of the exhibit; Roman life. With the use of the perfectly preserved sculptures and busts, the importance of the Roman toga and accessories to represent social status. This is where the first interactive area is placed. Heavy wool is hung beside instructions on how to properly wrap a toga, then a prompt to post the photo taken in front of the nearby background on Instagram with the hashtag “#Pompeii” to help promote the exhibit. Explaining how the Romans lived in many ways similar to contemporary society, a bust of a woman from the year 50-68 was carved with a hairstyle popular in the era Nero reigned. But given her facial features she would appear to resemble Empress Livia, the wife of Augustus, who died in year 29. Not such an unconventional idea in the 21st century where people depict themselves as something different than who they are on social media. This young lady had done the same but immortalized it in stone. The Romans, much like modern society, loved to be entertained. Pioneers of competitive games and the theatre, two things which remain a strong influencer in society, but also pioneers of advertisements. Advertisments on display mimicked the ones that would be painted around the city to promote games and theatrical productions. Competitive games in Ancient Rome comprised mostly of the notorious Gladiator battles. The second interactive area lets the visitor hold gladiator weaponry for a photo, and again is prompted to post and share on social media.
A large section of the exhibit was dedicated to showcasing everyday life in a typical Roman city, like Pompeii. Because of the port and excellent soil many citizens were farmers, fisherman or merchants. Another interactive area displayed what a marketplace in Pompeii would have looked like, which woven baskets, clay pots, scales and meat hanging off of awnings overhead. A display of coins made of silver, gold, copper and brass showed the everyday currency of the Romans, an attached graph showed the conversion rate from one gold aureus to 25 silver denarii, etc. On a nearby wall 3 iPads were set up so the viewer can explore Pompeii ruins using Google maps. The roads, temples and houses all at the viewers fingertip to imagine when it was a thriving city. With so many objects left in the homes of the citizens, a natural pairing to their work is their home life. Much like today, the wealth of the homeowner was displayed by the quality of furniture and art that adorned their home. A highlight of these furnishings was a massive marble table with the head of a lion carved into each of its three legs. As perfectly preserved as all the other artefacts it is a true testament to the skill and wealth of the Romans. Several intricate mosaics that would have lined the walls still exist with minor damage. Worship was an intricate part of Roman life, several small sculptures remained of various gods and goddesses to protect over the homes. A small model of what was considered a modest home in Pompeii standards, but could house a small wealthy family in modern society. Opening the drawer attached to the model showed all the individual rooms, including a courtyard atrium.
Possibly the most memorable and cheeky part of the exhibit was tucked off to the side in a much less notable location. Above the warning for graphic content was a description of a major difference between the Romans and us; the depiction of sex and phallic images in everyday life. Some of the more notable pieces in this section was a wind chime comprising of a double phallus with an animal leg and a wing, and a crude carving of a phallus found on the wall of a bakery with the inscription “here lives good fortune” in limestone.
Towards the back of the exhibit stood a long table holding stereoscopes and a couple photographs beside each. The board advertised the photos as excavation photos from the 19th century and to use the stereoscopes to “travel back in time!” But the use of the stereoscopes frankly made the viewer feel foolish for wearing it and was an underwhelming experience in comparison to the rest of the exhibit.
The last part of the exhibit entered the theme for which it was advertised in the first place, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Que back in the dramatic music and add staggered lighting for a lightning effect. The area focused on the eruption itself was small but focused on the science of the disaster. A large timeline showed the progression of the eruption over its 2 day demise. Several statistics were displayed from the possibility of survival to the height of the ash buildup by the end of the second day. After this came the infamous victims of Vesuvius. The flickering lights and music turned to a quiet and remorseful atmosphere. The molds taken from their graves under the rubble displayed to show the true terror of that day. Although there wasn’t many, their powerful poses and facial expressions made up for it. The most heartbreaking of the group being a small family found under the stairs of their

home.
Overall the Pompeii exhibit lived up to ROM standards. The quality of the artefacts helps to understand what life was like as a typical Roman and how in many ways their culture doesn’t differ from ours. Although the advertisements centred on the eruption, the actual part of the exhibit that focused on it was maybe an eighth of the whole thing. Pompeii is crucial in understanding Roman life and will remain a great teaching tool in years to come.