From Ruins to Reality: Exploring Ancient Pompeii

This week, 6th-grade Latin students explored Roman history firsthand at Pompeii: The Exhibition held at the Graceland Exhibition Center. The exhibit allows visitors to experience life in Pompeii before the eruption, using a mix of historical artifacts and engaging multimedia presentations. It vividly portrays the daily life of Pompeii’s residents—how they lived, worked, and worshiped.

The display featured a variety of gladiator helmets, weapons, furniture, jewelry, and detailed mosaics, all loaned from the Naples National Archaeological Museum and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. Along with these artifacts, the exhibit used projections, holograms, and videos to bring scenes of Pompeii’s life and the eruption that ultimately buried the city.

Middle School Latin Teacher Gretchen Deupree was excited about the field trip as it tied into recent class lessons.

“The students were reminded how similar we are to the Romans. The students were particularly fascinated by everyday Roman objects like cooking tools, keys, and medical instruments,” said Mrs. Deupree. “They really enjoyed seeing the mock-ups of storefronts, as well as the money box and Roman coins, since we recently completed a project on buying and selling in ancient Rome.” 

Latin student Katherine McCully ’31 enjoyed the field trip. “Overall it was an amazing experience. I personally thought it was cool because we got to look at the plaster body casts at the end. It was also really interesting when the smoke came into the eruption simulation room,” said Katherine. “I had fun – I give it 4.5 stars!” she joked.

Looking ahead, Mrs. Deupree plans to incorporate what the students saw into lessons on Roman baths and medical practices. “Seeing artifacts such as a strigil (skin scraper) as well as tweezers and other medical tools will help reinforce those concepts,” she said. 

The field trip not only deepened the students’ understanding of ancient Rome but also made history feel more immediate and real. Mrs. Deupree noticed that the experience sparked reflections on how future generations might study us. “The students enjoyed seeing that the Romans weren’t that different from us,” Mrs. Deupree noted. “They have been pondering what future generations will study when they study us the way we study the Romans.