What Nature Destroyed
It Also Preserved.
November 15, 2025 - April 12, 2026
Sybil B. Harrington Gallery, Level 3
A volcano awakens. A city vanishes. Through 150 artifacts, POMPEII: The Exhibition tells the tale of a city hidden from view and forgotten for centuries.
POMPEII: THE EXHIBITION, finishes its North American tour at the Arizona Science Center, located in Phoenix, AZ. The exhibition examines the lives of residents of Pompeii before and after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24th, 79 A.D. Over 150 artifacts on loan from the collections of the Naples National Archaeological Museum in Italy and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii will be displayed when the exhibition opens on November 15, 2025, for a limited time.
Visitors to the exhibition will travel back in time to 79 A.D. when Pompeii bustled as a commercial port and strategic military and trading city. In a media-rich, object-based, immersive experience, they will learn how the people of Pompeii lived, loved, worked, worshipped and found entertainment.
Featuring over 150 artifacts including frescoes, mosaics, and statues, hidden from view and forgotten for centuries until rediscovery over 250 years ago. The sudden disaster that destroyed Pompeii also preserved it and over time archaeologists have uncovered a unique record of its daily life — roads, buildings, municipal services, paintings, mosaics, artifacts, and even preserved bodies. Ongoing excavations at the site provide an ever-evolving picture of everyday life at the height of the Roman Empire.
POMPEII: THE EXHIBITION will be open Tuesday - Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. through Sunday, April 12, 2026.. The exhibition is generously supported by U.S. Bank & SRP
POMPEII: THE EXHIBITION: Includes:
- Introductory theatre where the scene is set in a video with dramatic reconstructions that describe Pompeii and the nearby volcano.
- Visitors are then transported back in time to 79 A.D. and find themselves in a reproduced atrium from a Roman villa, where they will embark on a journey through the ancient city.
- Through the use of projections, audio, video, photographic murals, and graphic reproductions of frescoes and mosaics, visitors will experience different locations that existed in the city, including a market, a temple, theater, and baths.
- Over 150 authentic artifacts will help bring the story of Pompeii to life. These remarkable objects include: Mosaics and frescoes, gladiator helmets, armor, and weapons, a ship’s anchor, lamps, jugs, cups, plates, pots and pans and other household objects and furniture, jewelry, medical instruments, and tools.
- A simulated eruption will allow visitors to experience the deathly impact Mount Vesuvius had on this ancient city, culminating in the reveal of full body casts of twisted human forms, asphyxiated by extreme heat and noxious gases and forever frozen in time.
Pricing
This is a premium add-on experience and requires a separate purchase from Arizona Science Center admission.
Daytime Pricing
Members: $15.00
Includes All Day Access & Audio Tour
Premium Ticket: $20.00
Includes All Day Access & Audio Tour
Timed Ticket: $17.00
Additional Add-Ons: Audio Tour: $5.00
For groups of 15+, please contact groups@azscience.org. For more pricing and more information.
Plan Your Visit Today!
The Power of Poison will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. starting on Sunday, February 2 through Sunday, August 24, 2025. The exhibition is included FREE with your Arizona Science Center Membership or general admission ticket. Kids under 3 are always FREE.