The inauguration of the exhibition Bound for Disaster. Pompeii and Herculaneum took place at the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus, Denmark, in November 2019.
The exhibition was made possible due to the active participation of some of the most important Italian archaeological museums, and a previous initiative undertaken by the Australian National Maritime Museum of Sydney.
The devastating and sadly, infamous event that took place in Pompeii on August 24th, 79 CE is the protagonist of this exhibition, but the tale is told in absolutely innovative terms – through the experience of the Roman writer, historian and admiral of the Misenum fleet, Pliny the Elder, who lived in first person the events of that nefarious day.
The biographical details of Pliny’s experience, a firsthand witness to the destruction of Pompeii, accompany the visitors as they enter into the most famous and most unfortunate Roman city of Campania. Through the many archaeological finds on display, the history and lifestyle of ancient Roman society is explored, but due to Pliny’s role, the story is expanded upon, and the visitor has the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Roman Empire not only as a great “power on land,” ruler of the vast Roman provinces, but also as an equally important “naval power.”