New Exhibition: Life & Death in Roman Times
Sunday September 30, 2007
A new, permanent exhibition has been added to the National Museum of Ireland in Kildare Street. Titled "Life & Death in Roman Times" it promises "glass vessels, textiles, sculpture, ceramics, coins, gemstones and architectural fragments from places as geographically diverse as Egypt, Austria and England". And ranging from Etruscan to early Christian times. I was astonished at the wide scope here - several centuries, all the known world and every aspect ("Everyday Life; Death, Burial and the Afterlife; Religion; Personal Adornment and Dress; Entertainment and Imperial Power") of Roman history was to be covered. Where did they find the exhibits and the exhibition space to to this?
The answer is ... somebody dusted off several dozens of items from the storage area and the exhibition consists of a few glass showcases wedged in between "Viking Dublin" and "Medieval Ireland".
In less enlightened days every museum worth its salt had diverse collections thrown together by collectors and curates. So did the National Museum. But as Ireland's links with the Roman world are rather patchy (there were few trade contacts), an exhibition would always have been of curiosity value. A corner of the museum with "Roman stuff".
And I use the word "stuff" consciously - the collection now on display (with state-of-the-art exhibition texts and using quite pleasing display methods) is a hotch-potch of mostly smaller items. Some of them not Roman but 19th century replicas. Enough, maybe, to whet your appetite for classic times. Not enough to fulfil the role of an encompassing view of nearly every aspect of Roman life. As the leaflets and the museum's website seem to claim.
That is not to say that the exhibition does not add value to a museum visit - the Romans are, after all, an important part of European history. And their influence may even have reached the Emerald Isle. This is a field open both to academic research and wild speculation ...
But compare the Roman exhibition with the Egyptian room in the National Museum. Both are sitting uncomfortably in areas that do not make real sense if you are looking for "historical continuity" during your museum visit, both are sideshows - with the only difference being that an Egyptian princess settled in Ireland, according to ancient myths at least. While the Roman exhibition is bland, almost clinical, the Egyptian room is an exercise in ambient display technology and use of light. You are somehow immersed into the Egyptian world, it is an almost mystical experience to visit this display.
Recommended? Yes, as a visit to the National Museum is recommended anyway - but do not expect a breathtaking exhibition on all things Roman or academic revelations. Expect a modernized and well-presented corner of the museum with “Roman stuff”.
The answer is ... somebody dusted off several dozens of items from the storage area and the exhibition consists of a few glass showcases wedged in between "Viking Dublin" and "Medieval Ireland".
In less enlightened days every museum worth its salt had diverse collections thrown together by collectors and curates. So did the National Museum. But as Ireland's links with the Roman world are rather patchy (there were few trade contacts), an exhibition would always have been of curiosity value. A corner of the museum with "Roman stuff".
And I use the word "stuff" consciously - the collection now on display (with state-of-the-art exhibition texts and using quite pleasing display methods) is a hotch-potch of mostly smaller items. Some of them not Roman but 19th century replicas. Enough, maybe, to whet your appetite for classic times. Not enough to fulfil the role of an encompassing view of nearly every aspect of Roman life. As the leaflets and the museum's website seem to claim.
That is not to say that the exhibition does not add value to a museum visit - the Romans are, after all, an important part of European history. And their influence may even have reached the Emerald Isle. This is a field open both to academic research and wild speculation ...
But compare the Roman exhibition with the Egyptian room in the National Museum. Both are sitting uncomfortably in areas that do not make real sense if you are looking for "historical continuity" during your museum visit, both are sideshows - with the only difference being that an Egyptian princess settled in Ireland, according to ancient myths at least. While the Roman exhibition is bland, almost clinical, the Egyptian room is an exercise in ambient display technology and use of light. You are somehow immersed into the Egyptian world, it is an almost mystical experience to visit this display.
Recommended? Yes, as a visit to the National Museum is recommended anyway - but do not expect a breathtaking exhibition on all things Roman or academic revelations. Expect a modernized and well-presented corner of the museum with “Roman stuff”.
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