A Visit to the ROM

I went somewhat off the Waterfront Trail on Monday and paid a visit to the ROM which is currently having a Pompeii special exhibit (In the Shadow of the Volcano).  

There were many, many beautiful and sobering things to see there.  Here I have photos of just a few. 

This first is a statue of Isis, whose cult had spread to Greek and Roman areas.  As you can see, she's been Hellenized somewhat.

A Pompeii-styled Isis

Nearby was a statue of Apollo, which of course you had to see:

Apollo, from Pompeii

And next to Apollo was Venus:

Venus, from Pompeii

I really encourage you to go if you have the chance; it's a treat, and there is a lot more to see than I have pictured here.  I plan to return in the near future to spend a little more time with the exhibits.

Anyway, on the sobering side, there are also a number of the plaster casts Pompeii is famous for.  Just two are pictured here.

First a wealthy family who, in trying to escape, sheltered in a stairwell, but was caught in a blast of pyroclastic heat and died there:

An unlucky family of four, killed by the
heat as they sheltered in a stairwell.

And a guard dog, left chained to a garden gate, who had scrabbled atop the falling pumice and ash, but succumbed to the heat as well:

An unfortunate guard dog, left chained to a gate in Pompeii,
also killed by the pyroclastic blast.

Truly sobering, really - the tail end of the exhibit is much like walking through a cemetery that's even more sad than usual.