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Museum of Science Opens A Day in Pompeii Exhibition

On August 24, AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the ancient Roman city of Pompeii under volcanic ash for over 1,700 years.

On Sunday, October 2, 2011, visitors to the Museum of Science, Boston will explore the life and death of this thriving city in A Day in Pompeii. The 13,000-square-foot touring exhibit immerses visitors in the richness of one of the greatest archaeological treasures ever unearthed.


© William Starling, Photographer. Body cast of a young woman from A Day in Pompeii on exhibit October 2, 2011 – February 12, 2012, at the Museum of Science, Boston.

A Day in Pompeii features over 250 priceless artifacts. They include 13 wall-sized frescoes, over a dozen pieces of gold jewelry, marble and bronze statuary, gold coins, and other dazzling examples of ancient Roman artistry. Other artifacts from frying pans, fishhooks, and merchants’ scales to ceramics, oil lamps, graffiti stones, and carbonized bread capture aspects of daily life. Visitors can also experience the power of volcanoes from interactive displays and learn about their victims by exploring the body casts that have immortalized them.

Tickets, which went on sale August 24, 2011, the anniversary of the Vesuvius eruption, are available by visiting mos.org or calling 617/723-2500, 617/589-0417 (TTY).

The Museum takes a hands-on approach to science, engineering and technology, attracting about 1.5 million visitors a year via its programs and 700 interactive exhibits. Founded in 1830, the Museum was first to embrace all the sciences under one roof. Highlights include the Thomson Theater of Electricity, Charles Hayden Planetarium, Mugar Omni Theater, Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, 3-D Digital Cinema and Butterfly Garden. Reaching 25,000 teens a year worldwide via the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, the Museum also leads a 10-year, $41 million National Science Foundation-funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network of science museums. The Museum’s “Science Is an Activity” exhibit plan has been awarded many NSF grants and influenced science centers worldwide. Its National Center for Technological Literacy® aims to enhance knowledge of engineering and technology for people of all ages and inspire the next generation of engineers, inventors, and scientists. Visit http://www.mos.org

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