By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
TIMES SQUARE — A new exhibit showcasing a collection of bones and body casts from Pompeii will make its world debut in Times Square Friday.
Pompeii The Exhibit: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius gives a glimpse into an ancient world with artifacts and bodies preserved by the catastrophic eruption of volcanic Mount Vesuvius more than 2000 years ago.
Contorted in shapes that show the agony of a gruesome death by volcanic lava and ash, the body casts provide insights about a Roman city lost to an epic explosion.
Artifacts such as gold coins, necklaces, furniture pieces and utensils also show exquisite detail about the lives, as well as deaths, of the people who lived in the mountaneous terrain near modern Naples, Italy, said Kristin Romey, a curatorial consultant for Discovery Times Square.
"What makes the Pompeii exhibit so remarkable is that it shows us how little life has changed from 2,000 years ago to today," Romey said in an email. "All of the the dreams and problems of daily life are reflected in exhibit items, that range from fancy paintings designed to impress the neighbors to homely kitchen utensils and graffiti."
Visitors are further immersed in the ancient culture of Pompeii when they enter a brothel room complete with authentic fresco and terra-cotta lanterns painted with erotic imagery.
Known for its large-scale exhibitions such as Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Workshop and King Tut: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, Discovery Times Square also shows a detailed video that recreates the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
While items such as armor, loaves of bread and paintings portray a Pompeii culture that is not so far from modern life, the most dominant and unique aspect of the exhibit is the collection of body casts and skeletons, Romely said.
"And this is all driven home by the body casts on display: in a way they're so much more relatable to us than the austere marble statues of powerful people and gods that tend to crowd traditional museums," she added.
Pompeii The Exhibit: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius will run from March 4, 2011 through September 5, 2011 at Discovery Times Square, on 226 West 44th Street.
