Day Eleven: Museum of Naples

Day Eleven: Museum of Naples


Today, we travelled to the Museum of Naples. The museum houses many of the relics taken from the homes in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The frescos, or wall paintings, mosaics, and statues that once were part of ancient Roman houses were cut out of the existing walls on the original site and moved to a save location for preservation. Many of these pieces are now in museums around the world. Here are some interesting ones:

Here is an example of a wall painting completed in second style. This stage of the home décor

tried to act as a mirror to reflect a world of glamour outside of itself.

During this style, the homeowner used extravagant murals in more private spaces

of the home where the homeowner would take special and privileged persons.

When these large scenes were in a small place, it made the space feel luxurious.

Here is an example of a wall painting completed in third style.

During this style, the walls reflect simple framed panels with an elegant

decorative frame in the center of the panel. Most of the time, the framed artwork

would reflect a mythological scene.

This bronze sculpture of a dancer was found,

along with eight other similar sculptures, in one specific house

in Pompeii. Note the painted eyes and the red markings at the bottom of her shirt.

Check out the red markings up close:

In Ancient Rome, artists would paint bronze and marble statues - so what

we see today in museums would pale in comparison

to the beautiful colors and images of ancient sculpture in its original setting.

This is a multicolored marble sculpture of Isis, the Egyptian goddess

worshiped all throughout the Greco-Roman world. Here, she is pictured with a

ebony tunic and more traditional marbled skin tone. I have never seen a marble statue

with a two-toned color representation. I think it's beautiful.

And speaking of Isis, here are the remains of her temple located in Pompeii:

Now, check out the Museum of Naples reconstructed model of what Isis's temple would have

look liked during the height of Pompeii:

This model was located in the center of a huge room. Every detail of the ancient

temple was reconstructed and brought to life. Some of the roofing

was removed so outsiders could take a look inside the rooms.

Tomorrow, we head to the rural parts of Stabia and visit two ancient farms. Farming was a huge part of the ancient lifestyle. Over 75 percent of the population was in agriculture. We should learn a lot about how the average person spent his or her day.