A Day in Pompeii

"You could hear the wails of women, the cries of children, the shouts of men...many raised their arms to the gods, others...declared that the gods were no longer and that this was the last night on earth."

For a few weeks now, the guys from my discipleship group have been planning a "secret group date" for us and our wives. After throwing around several ideas, we came up with the Science Museum of Minnesota.

At first I was hesitant at the idea of spending the healthy entrance fee for something I wasn't sure Erin would enjoy. But I made sure to clear the price and date with Erin before springing the event on her. When she asked what we'd be doing, still trying to keep the date a secret, I reassured her it involved limited walking and air conditioning. That made her smile.

The eight of us (plus one 6 month old) started out our adventure in the Omnitheater with an interesting piece called Greece: Secrets of the Past. It was fun hearing it narrated by "My Big Fat Greek Wedding(s)" very own Nia Vardalos.

Can I get an "Opa!"

After the surprisingly entertaining film, we headed down to the main exhibit, A Day in Pompeii. To quote the website:

On August 24, 79 A.D., a massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius buried the ancient Roman resort city of Pompeii, freezing the city and its people in a historic moment in time.

While walking through we saw several authentic artifacts which included coins, jewelery, statues, mummified food, and even entire wall paintings. But what impacted us most of all was the "casts" of people left behind.

These poor souls were caught by Mt. Vesuvius' blast and forever encased in it's ash. Archeologist's discovered the impressions in the ash and filled them with plaster creating a lasting impression. (No pun intended.)

Seeing a woman on the ground trying to cover her head with her clothing to protect herself or a man found crouched in a gymnasium trying to hide from the blast (pictured above) made us all just stop and think. No one was safe from the power of the deadly gas. Even a dog's impression was well preserved as he was chained to his owner's house.

Out of all of the casts, the most heart wrenching was the husband sacrificing his own well being in a vain attempt to save his wife. The husband had sprawled out next to his wife's head trying to keep her safe. Wow.

It's funny how seeing them made us all "care" for them.

—b

If you'd like to see pictures of these (unfortunately minus the husband and wife) as well as some of the other pieces, click here.