Pompeii’s Antiquarium reopens at last

Very few people are aware that Pompeii has a museum of its own, generally known as the Antiquarium. This is not surprising because the premises have been closed since 1980 when they were damaged by a severe earthquake. From 2016 onward, some rooms were occasionally open for temporary exhibitions but the Antiquarium’s own collection was entirely out of sight.

Today, after forty years the Antiquarium has finally fully reopened. It offers an introduction to what Pompeii has to offer through its display of artifacts going back to the 4^th century BC.

[Silver table set known as the Moregine Treasure (Courtesy of Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities / Archaeological Park of Pompeii) Smithonian Mag]

Visitors will be treated to objects of daily use, including tableware among which a rare silver dining set. Also exhibited are more decorative items like frescos and mosaics, as well as an array of marble and bronze statues. The casts of people who fell victim to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD are also on display.

At the time of the disaster, it is estimated that Pompeii counted some 12,000 inhabitants. Although the majority of the population was able to escape the catastrophe, the total death toll in Pompeii and Herculaneum combined is estimated at a minimum of 2,000 people.

The first excavations in Pompeii started in 1738 but the museum was created only around 1873. Archaeology was still in its infancy and excavations at the site were interrupted and restarted repeatedly depending mainly upon the money that was made available. Work has intensified since 2012 when scholars and specialists would deploy all the modern technology that is available nowadays. Among the most recent discoveries is, for instance, a charcoal inscription suggesting that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius occurred in late October 79 AD and not in August as assumed till now.

[The goddess Venus stands on a quadriga drawn by elephants in this first-century A.D. fresco (Courtesy of Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities / Archaeological Park of Pompeii)  Smithsonian Mag]

We only have a vague idea of the museum’s content and the bombing that occurred during World War II destroyed hundreds of artifacts. By 1948, however, the museum reopened but was forced to close once again in 1980 after being hit by a severe earthquake.  Since 2016, the museum received several temporary exhibitions but it is only now, in 2021, that all the rooms and all the treasures are accessible for all to admire!