An advance warning; this post is sadly lacking pictures. My beautiful, shiny iPhone was stolen on Saturday night and with it all my blogging evidence of the exhibition. I've been in mourning for a few days, but have decided to tell you all about it anyway. See it as an incentive to go and see it for yourselves!
Paying our £4, we headed straight into the dark quiet of the Roman exhibition. A huge variety of artefacts are displayed around the room. There is a clever use of space, each display leading you in a way which keeps you flowing smoothly around the room. There's also an interactive touch screen board game which we probably got a little too excited about. Bronze figurines, ancient silver coins and intricately decorated gold helmets feature right at the beginning giving you a taster of what's to come. Plaques are dotted around the artefacts giving you historical facts and commenting on how Roman life operated. These were incredibly interesting and informative. I learnt that to be 'Roman' in the ancient world did not necessarily mean you had to have citizenship; to be 'Roman' was a way of living, an attitude, a state of mind which linked you to other like minded people. A very civilised and advanced approach for such an ancient society. It really emphasised the grandeur of the Romans and how incredibly advanced they were for their time. Considering that what followed their reign was nearly 1000 years of the Dark Ages, it is incredible to think how much the Romans accomplished, and how the world did not even come close to replicating it for centuries afterwards.
This emphasis on time made the condition and nature of the artefacts even more impressive. Great sculptures found in Roman estates were beautifully preserved, intact and detailed. There are painted glass tiles which still retain their vivid colour and lustre. Huge, uncracked amphora (ceramic pots) stand proudly within their glass cases and scrolls of papyrus with magic Roman spells scrawled across them add depth and variety to the exhibition.
By far my favourite item displayed was a child's tiny woollen sock, remarkably still fully intact. Talking of being advanced, it even had a separate big toe section so that it could be worn comfortably with sandals. Cute and practical (although this could explain where the fashion faux pas comes from).
It is such a shame that I can't show you more of the exhibition, however at £4 a head and in such a central location there is no reason why you can't experience it for yourself. So next time you are looking for somewhere to ride out the Bristol rain, give Rome a whirl.
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