The Roman towns around the Bay of Naples destroyed and paradoxically preserved by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE are often considered “time capsules” that today provide us with unique insights into the minute details of the daily lives of their inhabitants as if they were flash-frozen in a single moment. But while Pompeii and the Vesuvian cities undoubtedly reveal much about the ancient world, they have, since their rediscovery in the early 1700s, functioned as much as mirrors of an ever-changing present as transparent windows to the past. This lecture addresses some common misconceptions about Pompeii and nearby sites in light of both new discoveries and careful reexamination of modern assumptions and retrojections over the last three centuries. The past, though indisputably behind us, is constantly reinvented to serve the shifting needs of the present.
$5 members/$8 non-members
For questions or assistance with registration, please email learn@okcmoa.com or call (405) 278-8237. This lecture will be held online. Registrants will receive information for viewing the lecture via email.
Credits: Archivio Fotografico del Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
