5. MAV-VIRTUAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

from The bank of good practices

by Giedre Petrosiene

27. WHAT MAKES US, US PROJECT- CONDUCTED BY THE ARTIST ANNIE RIGAS

5.

MAV-VIRTUAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Archeology, History, Art Teachers: Annamaria Giullini School: Archeoproject which is the LDT Country: Italy

8-12 years group of 15 students 2 hours

CONTENT OF ACTIVITY

Just a few steps from the archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Herculaneum stands the MAV (Virtual Archaeological Museum), a center that combines the cultural heritage with technology and communication.

Its museum space is a virtual and interactive journey back in time to the moment before the Plinian eruption in 79 AD that destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. With more than seventy multimedia installations the museum gives us a glimpse of the life and the splendor that characterized the now archaeological sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Baia, Stabia and Capri.

In this context, an archaeology lesson can be held for 15 students aged between 8 and 12, lasting about two hours. The threedimensional vision and multimedia allow us to illustrate life in Herculaneum, and not only by telling the eating habits, the way of dressing, life in the domus (house) and in the shops: through sounds, images and their explanation, students relive the rituals in the temples, the meetings in the baths and the political disputes. They also get to know the society of the time, made up of soldiers, merchants, traders, lawyers, children, reminiscing the smells of the gardens, the colours, the tastes, the laughter and the pain of the first century AD people. The educational program of the MAV museum runs along the History and Art lessons held at school and gives the children the chance to virtually relive what they have read on school books.