Antiquarium of Pompeii, Pompei

The Pompeian Antiquarium serves as an archaeological museum housing artefacts recovered from Pompeii’s excavations. The museum's layout follows a sequential, chronological journey that guides visitors through the life, growth, and sudden death of the city.

The introductory galleries explore the pre-Roman eras, charting the city’s indigenous Oscan and Samnite roots from the 7th to the 4th centuries BC. Here, the displays feature ancient Sarno Valley tomb remains, fragments of Attic and Corinthian pottery, and archaic architectural terracottas recovered from the Doric Temple and the Temple of Apollo.

As you advance into the city’s golden Roman era, the exhibition expands. To see the crown jewel of this classical section, walk straight ahead from the early pottery rooms into the centre of the luxury exhibition gallery to find the Moregine Silver Treasure display. This collection features a complete, highly decorated Roman silver table-service set used for elite dinner parties, with no major modern blemishes despite being buried under volcanic debris.

The subsequent galleries look more deeply into everyday life, highlighting a rich variety of Roman tools, standard measuring scales, medical instruments, fish hooks, and household furniture. Step to the centre of this commercial hall to examine the display table featuring carbonized food and shop artefacts. Here, you can view organic food remnants — such as bread and fruit — completely carbonized by the volcano's heat, set directly alongside an original painted stone sign from the Inn of Euxinus.

The chronological path culminates in a gallery dedicated to the tragedy of the 79 AD eruption. Enter this climate-controlled space through the heavy interior glass doors and look directly to your right to find plaster casts of the eruption's victims. These fragile original moulds capture the final, agonizing moments of the men, women, children, and animals who failed to escape the cloud of ash.