Pompeii's ancient treasures touch down

There’s an eruption of drama and excitement at the WA Museum as it becomes one of only two Australian cities to host A Day in Pompeii!

This crouching young man, wearing boots and a hooded cloak, was just one of the residents preserved in time in the Roman city of Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius unleashed its power on 24 August 79AD. This victim was discovered during excavations at the southern walkway of Pompeii’s Large Palaestra, or athletics ground. He had covered his mouth with the edges of the cloak as the toxic fumes and ash overcame him.

His story is part of A Day in Pompeii – an extraordinary exhibition of hundreds of objects recovered by archaeologists in the 1700s.

The exhibition includes more than 250 objects from the Roman city and is on display at the WA Museum in the Perth Cultural Centre until 5 September.

Highlights include room-size frescoes, marble and bronze sculptures, jewellery, gold coins and everyday household items – all of which evoke the richness and culture of daily life in the Roman Empire's favourite vacation resort.

A virtual house allows visitors to experience the original beauty and elegance of one of Pompeii’s finest residences, known as the ‘House of Vine’. The visual world of Pompeii will also be illustrated with an immersive 3D theatre where visitors will feel the terror of the town's citizens during the 48 hours of eruptions that wiped out Pompeii and encased the town.

A Day in Pompeii will be on display at the Western Australian Museum – Perth from May 21 to September 5, 2010.

Tickets are on sale through BOCS Ticketing at http://www.bocsticketing.com.au/. Adults $20, concession $14, children $12 and family $54.

A Day in Pompeii is presented by the Western Australian Museum and Eventscorp and exhibited by the Soprintendenza Speciale per I Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei (SANP) and Museum Victoria.

Cast of Crouching Man Photograph © William Starling, Alabama, USA