During this tour, students viewed artifacts, architecture, wall paintings, funerary urns, writings and Roman numerals that existed in Ancient Pompeii. They witnessed firsthand the layout of a Roman villa, including its bedrooms and dining rooms. 

Their teacher and docent, Mr. Hugh Thornton, engaged students in thinking about key questions throughout the visit, such as: How does the Roman Gallery look like a Roman villa? What do the contents of an Etruscan burial tomb tell us about the values of the Etruscan elite and about Etruscan life?  Can you read the age and the name of the deceased on the Roman tomb? Why did Romans use a columbarium? Describe the Roman bust of elder senator and that of Augustus as a young man Vitruvius: Is the chief goal of art to be as realistic as possible? What are artistic methods used in creating realism?  Storytelling in Roman art: What is the story of Polyphemus and Galatea? Andromeda and Perseus? Who is who in these mural paintings?Decorative art in Roman bedrooms: How do you feel in these rooms? Statues in motion: Which is the fastest?

 

By the end of the visit, our novice Classicists deepened their understanding of the Latin stories they are reading in class about a family living in Ancient Pompeii just prior to the explosion of Vesuvius. It was a great trip enjoyed by all!