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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000 info@cityandvillagetours.com
e & Death in Ancient Rome
called lapilli. At first the situation did not seem as
serious as it was in Herculaneum. People tended to
seek protection from the falling lapilli by taking shelter
in their houses but as the falling debris built up the
houses began collapsing beneath the weight. The
Pompeiians began to understand the danger they were
in but for many it was just too late. Vesuvius was now
belching out sulphur fumes and many were poisoned
while trying to flee. Of the 15,000 population, an
estimated 2,000 died in the disaster. When rescue
parties finally arrived Herculaneum had completely
disappeared. At Pompeii, only the tops of the tallest
buildings could be seen. Some survivors returned to
salvage their possessions but it was all but impossible
and Pompeii was abandoned. Over the years nature
took its course and the pumice stone and the hardened
volcanic ash were covered by a layer of earth. Pompeii,
now nearly twenty feet underground, was forgotten
over the next 1500 years until a chance discovery in
1594 which led to sporadic episode of plundering until
the first efforts at scientific archaeology were made in
1860 looking not for valuable loot but evidence of how
these ancient people lived. Guiseppi Fiorelli the
archaeologist realised that the suffocating lava would
have hardened round the bodies of victims and that by
pouring plaster into the cavities left once the bodies
had rotted away it was possible to cast reconstructions
of people, animals and any object made of organic
material such as wooden furniture.
Herculaneum was discovered in 1710 by a peasant
digging a well but it was 200 years before serious
archaeologists began work here. Because everything
was covered in the liquid mud which had arisen so
slowly it had often covered objects without damaging
them. The finds in Herculaneum were often quite
spectacular. Eggs were covered in the mud without the
shells being broken and the heat of the mud carbonised
the objects and preserved them from decay. Some of
the buildings and their contents have survived intact
and provide an excellent picture of what life was like
in the Roman Empire during the first century AD.
Join us to visit this landmark exhibition at The British
Museum and enjoy a guided galleries tour looking at
The Ancients at Home
available weekdays
from 28 March to 27 September 2013. Arrive at
10.30am to buy refreshments in the Great Court Cafés
and then while one half of your party visit the Pompeii
exhibition the other half will enjoy a guided tour with
our Blue Badge guide which will take you on a
fascinating trail through the domestic life of our
ancient forebears from the four corners of the globe.
We break for lunch and swap over in the afternoon
with the day coming to an end after a pause for tea.
You’ll be heading home at 4.45pm.
Not to be missed and booking now.
Adults & Seniors: £24.00
Available Mondays to Fridays only 28 March to
27 September 2013. Payment is due eight weeks
before your trip with 50% refunds available for
subsequent cancellations and no shows on the day.